Full text of "History in brief of "Leopard" and "Linden," General Grant's Arabian stallions, : presented to him by the sultan of Turkey in 1879. Also their sons "General Beale," "Hegira," and "Islam," bred by Randolph Huntington. Also reference to the celebrated stallion "Henry Clay.""

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HISTORY IN BRIEF

"Leopard" and" Linden,"

GENERAL GRANT'S

ARABIAN STALLIONS,

Presented to him by the Sultan of Turkey in 1879.

ALSO THEIR SONS

"GENERAL BEALE," "HEGIRA," AND "ISLAM,"

BRED BY

RANDOLPH HUNTINGTON.

ALSO REFERENCE TO THE CELEBRATED STALLION

"HENRY CLAY."

" Stirps Arabica Vicil."

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.

1885.

^Gspgisgtgt-^*

DEDICATED TO

AND IN MEMORY OF THE LATE

GENERAL U. S. GRANT,

HIS LOVE FOR HORSES.

GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S

ARABIAN STALLIONS

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE."

All my life, or for fifty years, I had desired to see and examine
genuine Arabian horses, such as I could know to a certainty were
strictly thoroughbred Arabians. That they were rare indeed in any
country I knew.

Writers upon them were very superficial, being mostly tourists
or travellers, interested in geographical matters, or in the people,
customs, and relics, with traditional associations, seldom if ever beine
horsemen, capable of judging with just comparison, if I except Sir
Wilfrid S. Blunt, of England, who, as an equine investigator of re-
markable ability, in company with his wife lived with the Arabs of the
desert for that express purpose, and to whom I am indebted for very
much valuable information upon the subject.

Different Presidents of the United States, also Secretaries of State,
have at various periods received splendid horses as presents from
Arabia or Turkey ; the last President receiving such a gift previous
to General Grant being, I believe, James K. Polk. In i860 the late
William H. Seward, while Secretary of State, had two fine specimens
sent to him from Syria ; but after the novelty of their arrival wore
off, none could tell what had become of them, while those loudest in
condemnation or ridicule of Arabian horses could neither say they
had ever seen one, nor speak with personal knowledge of the get by
any thoroughbred Arabian stallion. In the matter of ex-Secretary
Seward's Arabians, while many were ready to condemn, few could
remember having seen them ; nor could any one point me to the get
of either horse upon which to base credit or discredit.

6 GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

Persistent inquiry, oral and by letter, after five or six years' time,
gave me the first and last of Seward's two Arab horses, now dating
back twenty-five years ; and the information I obtained may soon startle
such as are interested in "time standard" breeding rather than blood.
Suffice it to say, however, that this information determined me to
become personally interested in the two Arabian stallions presented to
General Grant.

As General U. S. Grant outranked in the estimation of the people
of the world any representative man America had produced, both as
General-in-Chief of the victorious American army and as the unani-
mously re-elected President of our great Republic, it is but natural to
suppose the Sultan of Turkey would honor himself and his Empire by
presenting to the general the very choicest specimens of their idolized
horses, the Arabian.

At the time of their arrival in this country I was compiling a work
devoted to Old Henry Clay, to be entitled a " History of Henry Clay ;"
and for the purpose of having correct sketches of representative sons
and daughters of the horse, had engaged Herbert S. Kittredge (since
deceased), whom in 1876 I had encouraged to make horse portraiture
his profession. Young Kittredge resided with me, as did later Andrew
J. Schultz, who was to study under him.

When General Grant's Arabians were thoroughly recovered from
their voyage and acclimated, I sent Kittredge to sketch them, as fron-
tispieces to my "Clay History," also illustrative of blood influences;
Henry Clay being but a third remove from the Arabian upon the
paternal side, and largely inbred to that blood maternally through im-
ported Messenger, First Consul, and Rockingham, all of which were
of Godolphin Arabian blood, and Messenger himself was inbred to it.

Young Kittredge's success was wonderful. I presentee copies of
his sketches to General Grant, to General E. F. Beale, to Paymaster-
General J. Adams Smith, and to Hon. Erastus Corning, also to one or
two other gentlemen friends whom I believed trustworthy.

General Grant pronounced them "perfect to life."

General E. F. Beale wrote me :

" I return you my thanks for the pictures of Leopard and Linden. They
are the best horse pictures I have ever seen, and are the most faithful likenesses,
being great credit to the gifted and talented Kittredge.

" Very truly yours,

"E. F. BEALE.
" Lafayette Square, Washington, D. C."

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." y

As General E. F. Beale received the stallions and kept them at his
place, "Ash Hill," near Washington, for three years, he was a compe-
tent critic of Kittredge's work. In a similar manner wrote Paymaster-
General J. Adams Smith, of the United States Navy. General Smith
being an expert horseman, and long having Grant's Arabs in charge,
his opinion is of equal value. Then again, Major J. K. Levitt, for fifty
years known in Philadelphia as an expert horseman and judge of horses,
pronounced the two sketches by H. S. Kittredge as the most perfect
likenesses of the two stations which he had at any time seen of any
horses. Mr. Levitt was the man who first received the stallions to
exhibit, which he did for three months after their arrival.

I am particular in quoting these criticisms upon my sketches as ex-
hibited in this book, because I have seen numerous prints and photo-
graphs purporting to represent General Grant's Arabian stallions, no
one of which has been the least like them. My sketches are the horses
to life, upon paper: and the proofs sent me by Messrs. J. B. Lippincott
Company, of Philadelphia, were such excellent reproductions that I
intrusted the publication of my work to them.

HOW I CAME TO ISSUE THIS BOOK.

Early in May, 1885, I received a letter from a gentleman, intro-
ducing himself as a personal friend of General Grant and his family,
and, as such, requesting that I give him a transcript of my papers per-
taining to the general's Arabian stallions ; as to their shipment from
Constantinople, date of shipment, name of vessel, commander, port of
entry and date of arrival, also consignment ; referring me to General
Grant or either of his sons as to himself. By the next mail another
letter came from the same gentleman, asking permission to publish ex-
tracts from my private letters to General Grant and his son Ulysses
regarding the two stallions, and my stallions by them ; also asking pic-
tures of my young horses by Leopard and Linden.

While the refinement and courtesy of this gentleman's letter was
such as to assure me of his good intent, I felt obliged to decline his
request. As pirating of my expensive sketches, with plagiarism of my
public writings, had been the order of the day for the past three years,
I had grown recluse.

Upon reflection, and knowing the condition of General Grant, I felt
that it might be some pleasure to him to see in print the information I
had obtained ; also the result of my experiments in breeding to his two
stallions ; hence I wrote two articles, which appeared during the months

3 GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

of May and June, 1885, in " Dunton's Spirit of the Turf," published at
Chicago, and in the " California Breeder and Sportsman."

These two articles created a demand for a publication to include my
sketches of General Grant's Arabians. As my Clay History would be
delayed a long time for want of means to reproduce my eighty sketches
representing that family, I decided to yield to the demands, and publish
a book devoted to General Grant's Arabs, in so handsome a style as to
become a souvenir to the memory of Grant, and encourage what he
would have liked to do for the horse-breeders of America. The gen-
eral was a great lover of horses, and often remarked that " he saw no
reason why America should not have a national horse ; but that to
produce one they must go to the primitive root, the same as did Eng-
land and France, also Russia, — i.e., the Arabian." While his extreme
modesty prevented him from suggesting that his stallions be freely
used, I knew him to be very much pleased that I undertook what I did,
at the time I did, and in the way I did ; but the dear good man will
never know what it has cost me, mentally and financially, through
popular prejudice, the mighty and cruel executioner of the individual.

I will now devote my pen to the two horses Leopard and Linden
Tree. The two names as I give them are the English translation of
the Turkish ; but in speaking of them, the word Tree is left off, making
the names as given the two stallions, Leopard and Linden.

These two stallions arrived in this country May 30, 1879. They
were first heard of in Philadelphia, where they were exhibited in Gen-
eral Grant's name.

Early in the spring of 18S0 I went to Washington, D. C , to see
and to examine them, also to learn if I could breed to them.

•General E. F. Beale, a lifelong true and warm friend of General
Grant, also a great horse-lover, had the two horses upon his beautiful
farm "Ash Hill," just outside the city, and near to the Soldiers' Home.

Unfortunately, General Beale was in California, looking after his
large interests upon the Pacific ; but I learned that Paymaster J. Adams
Smith, of the Navy Department, had the Arabs in charge, and was also
a most thoroughly informed horseman. I called at the Naval Pay-
Office, found the officer disengaged, and enjoyed a long and interesting
conversation with him upon Arabian as well as other horses in the
East, and all over the world in fact, for they seemed to have been a
special study with him at every port he had visited.

It may surprise some of our so-called horse-breeders that a naval
officer, who had spent most of his days at a naval academy or on board

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." q

ship, should be better informed than some professional breeders upon
land; but I have found it to be frequently the case with both naval and
army officers. Men are born with the breeder's gift, and no matter what
their calling may be, that gift is there, waiting only the opportunity for
development.

Thus, Paymaster Smith was born with this gift, which had been cul-
tivated somewhat in boyhood ; then through years of observation, with
comparison in the mind, at different ports of the world, he had stored
away information far richer than that of men delvine a lifetime in "one
rut," with one idea, "upon one side of the fence."

A breeder should be a liberally-educated man, and by nature a
worker, which unfortunately few are. He should be a physical worker,
also a mental worker, withal a thinker: and my word for it, there is
not one moment for play or recreation, scarce even for social conver-
sation.

Some of my very best correspondents upon the questions of animal
life in years gone by have been officers in the army and navy.

The question of blood and breeding in horses, cattle, sheep, and
dogs is of importance to all civilized nations, which these men know ;
and where a naval officer is interested, his opportunities for information
are rare indeed. Naval officers, as a rule, are some of our best- edu-
cated men. The system of mental training in the navy tends to make
strong-minded men with retentive memories. Their restriction to con-
finement, I may say, in connection with study, breeds and encourages
deep thought with after-reflection. Graduating from a naval academy,
they visit by schooling-ships the different distant ports of the world, cul-
tivating observation and memory. Curiosity prompts comparison, and
the most important mental faculty, memory, is constantly worked. Cul-
tivation of the three traits, observation, comparison, and memory, after
the young mind and habits have been trained and cultured (refined),
enhances the quality of the growing man, all being at any moment
successfully applied to development of any special gift possessed, aside
from the may be forced legitimate calling. Thus, the merchant, the
doctor, the lawyer, or the mechanic can become a successful breeder if
he has the breeder's gift; and his mental culture, with trained system,
will give him a wonderful advantage over the yeoman who hates " book
learnino."

Paymaster (later Paymaster-General U.S.N.) Smith was by instinct
a breeder and handler of horses ; or, as the saying is, " was all horse"
when not otherwise engaged. He was a splendid driver, and superior

IO GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

to most landsmen in the saddle : indeed, I considered General Beale
fortunate in being able to leave General Grant's Arabians in charge of
so able a gentleman, during his trip to California. Remember, this
was the spring of 1880, and the horses had been at "Ash Hill" only
since the fall of 1S79.

I was impatient to see the Arabs ; so after dinner Paymaster Smith
ordered his light wagon, and as I write I think of that delightful ride to
"Ash Hill." Arriving there, the smiling, happy-faced little darkies
greeted us with " massa" dis and " massa" dat, as in the old days, the
happiest of my life.

In front of the stables, upon a beautiful table-land overlooking acres
of meadow pasturage, with scattered barns and hay-ricks, was a level
spot of close, fine turf, splendid to show horses upon. Upon this the
colored groom Addison led out first the Arab Leopard. He was a
beautiful dapple-gray, fourteen and three-quarter hands high ; his sym-
metry and perfectness making him appear much taller. As he stood
looking loftily over the meadows below, I thought him the most beau-
tiful horse I had ever seen. With nostrils distended and eyes full of
fire, I could imagine he longed for a run upon his desert home. Addi-
son gave him a play at the halter, showing movements no horse in the
world can equal but the thoroughbred Arabian. He needed no
quarter-boots, shin-boots, ankle-boots, scalping-boots, or protections of
any kind ; and yet the same movements this Arabian went through
would have blemished every leg and joint upon an American trotting-
horse, even though he had been able to attempt the to him impos-
sible activity.

He was now broug-ht to a stand-still that I might examine him; not
cocked on one leg, pointed in another, or straddled, as our horses would
be after such violent exercise, but bold and erect on all fours, as when
first led out.

I began at his head. The ear was very small and fine, much as Old
Henry Clay had. The muzzle was small and fine, the mouth handsome,
and lips very thin, as were the nostrils. Between the eyes he was full
and broad, while the eyes themselves were large, brilliant, and of the
speaking kind. I lifted the lids, and they, too, were thin and delicate,
not coarse and heavy, as in our big-mouthed, thick-lipped, long, heavy-
eared American horse. The jowls were very deep, but wide between
(so much condemned in Henry Clay). The windpipe was large and
free, running low into the breast. The neck was beautifully arched,
giving the impression of a thin crest, which I expected to find, from

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." XI

numerous writers' reports. Imagine my surprise when, upon running
my hand from between the ears down, I found a big, thick, hard crest,
as if a three- or even four-inch new cable-rope were inside. This was
exactly such a crest as was in Old Henry Clay, which lopped over like
a bag of meal with old age ; and I remembered having an old Mes-
senger stallion, years ago, with exactly such a crest, which, falling over
in the same way with age, was a great torment to my pride. How I
do punish myself in these days, to think of the green sheep-pelt sweats
I gave this noble old Messenger stallion to get the crest so it would
stay up in place ! Verily, boys and young men are fools, but they do
not know it.

Well, Leopard and his groom, Addison, remained perfectly still
until I had run my hands over every part of the horse's body, from
the tips of his ears to the bottom of his feet, even to examining the
texture of his skin or hide, to see if it contained any spots. No
more perfect animal ever lived than General Grant's Arabian stallion
Leopard.

Now for his gaits. I had Addison lead him on the walk to and from
me, say a distance of two or three hundred feet, that I might see the
position of the feet in walking. There was no twisting behind, nor
paddle in front, but straight, clean, elastic stepping. I now had him
pass me at the side, that I might see his knee, also hock and stifle
action. From the walk I had him moved upon the trot, and at either
walk or trot every movement was perfect. The knee-action was beau-
tiful : not too much, as in toe-weighted horses, nor stiff and staky,
as in the English race-horse, but graceful and elastic, beautifully bal-
anced by movement in the hock and stifle. To make Leopard a very
fast trotting-horse nothing was wanting but the training from colthood,
as is done with our colts of to-day. One thing we should gain by
training such a colt as Leopard was, and that would be in the saving
of boots with other mechanical contrivances. I could but say to
myself, truly, " God has made all things perfect."

I have been accustomed to handling stallions for the past thirty
years, hence look first for the disposition. At this time Leopard's
disposition was excellent, or, as ladies would say, " lovely !" and " sweet !"
Twice this horse has taken the first premium at the " National Horse
Show of America" over his stable companion Linden.

Linden Tree (or Linden, for short) was now led out. This horse
lias been called a "jet-black" by some papers, which was a mistake
never corrected by such journals. At that time, the spring of 1880,

I 2 GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

Linden was a beautiful, smooth, blue-gray, which this summer of 1885
has changed to a white-gray.

In height he is the same as Leopard, fourteen and three-quarter
hands, which is the usual height of the thoroughbred Arabian.

In build he was more compact than Leopard, being deeper and
broader; of more substance, but with just as clean and fine limbs as
Leopard had. The limbs, joints, and feet of both horses were perfect.
The fetlocks could not be found ; there were none. The warts at point
of ankle were wanting, and the osselets were very small. Large, coarse
osselets show cold, mongrel blood. The crest of the neck in Linden
was thick and hard, the same as in Leopard. This fact will astonish
some fancy horsemen, who are led to believe that a thin crest is evi-
dence of fine breeding. My experience of late years is that a thin
crest belongs to a long-bodied, flat horse, of soft constitution.

When Job said the " neck of the horse was clothed with thunder,"
he had reference to the Arabian horse. As the shoulder possesses the
greatest strength in a horse, it is reasonable to believe the neck, to
which it is joined, should have strength in harmony therewith ; and this
bold, stout crest of the Arab was just as God wanted it. The mane in
both horses was very fine and silky, falling over so as to cause one to
believe the crest was a knife-blade, with blade up, for thinness. The
head of Linden was the counterpart of Leopard in all ways ; as in fine,
thin muzzle, lips, and nostrils ; also small, fine, beautiful ears, thin eye-
lids ; deep, wide jowls, etc.; but the face looked much older, although
Linden was a year younger than Leopard.

There were two reasons for this difference in the countenance:
First, the depression over the eyes in Linden was greater, which feature
is said often to indicate advanced years in sire and dam when the foal
was got. This would be evidence that the blood of Linden was very
choice, for all breeders wish to get from their choicest-bred animals as
long as is possible, even to extreme old age ; and some of the finest
horses I have ever seen have been produced by dams thirty-six and
one thirty-eight years old. If I did not know these to be facts I would
not repeat them in this book.

To intensify the effect of depression over the eyes in Linden were
large black markings or rings around them, which at a little distance
made him look at this time very old ; with me, from what I now knew
of Arabian horses, these marks intensified his blood value. I quote
from Sir Wilfrid S. Blunt, in Lady Anne Blunt's beautiful work entitled
"The Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates": "These black markings are

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"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." j,

held by the Arabs of the desert as evidence that the animal is of the
thoroughbred Bint El Ahwaj breed, descending from the children of
Ishmael, and from which breed came the Godolphin Arabian, and which
Godolphin Arabian was in part founder of the French Percheron horse,
also of the best strains of the English thoroughbred running-horse ; and
to which Godolphin Arabian imported Messenger was three times close
bred, and very close at that in both sire and dam. Of course Arabian
statements are traditionary, but facts in that country go strongly to
support their traditions. This breed of which I am speaking, identified
by the black markings around the eyes, are also known as the Kehi-
lans, from these markings having the appearance of being painted with
kohl, after the fashion of the Arab women ; hence the desert name of
Kehilans.

"The name of Kochlani is credited to King Solomon's stud; but
they have a breed in Persia by this name, which, although they are
Arabian horses, are impure."

From all I have been able to learn from abroad, it is most likely that
the two horses represent the two thoroughbred breeds of " Kehilan"
and " Kochlani," the two choicest of the desert.

I have tried to impress the reader with the feeling that I considered
Linden the better horse of the two, and will give my reasons.

During the inspection of the Sultan's choicest horses, General
Grant, who had an excellent eye, with judgment, expressed great admi-
ration for the beautiful colt Leopard, and it was presented to him by
the Sultan. Of course General Grant did not understand the Turkish
or Arabic language, and could not comprehend any breeding given to
him. His choice or selection had been entirely governed by superior
beauty with wonderful perfection in the colt. After having presented
Leopard to the general, the Sultan desired to make a special present
of his own selection ; and holding General Grant in the highest possible
esteem as General-in-Chief of the victorious United States army under
him, and also knowing him to have been twice President of this great
American people, the Sultan would naturally have an individual as well
as a national pride that his special present should be the best possible
specimen of blood and breeding to be had through his power : and he
knew what General Grant could not understand, that Linden repre-
sented blood which time would prove of more excellence than in
Leopard. Under the circumstances, does any man suppose the Sultan
would insult himself and his power by presenting an inferior selection
to General Grant's necessarily ignorant choice ? Every breeder can

Xa GENERAL GRANT'S ARAB IAN STALLIONS.

understand this argument from selections made by gentlemen fanciers
from stock he has bred and raised. It is pretty hard work to tell a
gentleman who at first sight "knows it all" that he knows very little;
but General Grant was not of that class, to assume knowledge. Since
arrival in this country, the superior beauty and grace of Leopard
has had a tendency to dwarf Linden in public opinion, encouraged
through the influence of printer's ink. He has been credited with
being vicious, which the newspapers were very noisy about at one time,
in and over a suit brought against General Grant for keeping such a
horse.

During the early spring and summer of 1880, also in 1881, I han-
dled the two stallions many times in and out of their boxes at "Ash
Hill," at which time I had my mares there to breed, but never at any
moment considered Linden vicious. I knew that he was all horse, and
that as a stallion his disposition needed watching and nursing with a
kind but firm hand. Petulant words, with habitual scolding, makes
many a stallion ugly ; and many a groom is more at fault than the
brute. Arabian stallions are very sensitive to words, quickly appre-
ciates the kind, cheerful eood-morninsi. The human voice has a won-
derful influence over the brute, and cross, ugly words they will in time
resent.

As I have remarked, I put these two stallions through their gaits
many times, finding Linden the best at walk or at trot, because more
even and steady.

At the " National Horse Show" in New York Gity, I have said
Leopard was twice awarded a first premium over Linden, to which by
individual comparison he was entitled.

The judge who would pronounce otherwise before four or five
thousand people would be called very incompetent: but looks are
deceptive.

I bred six mares to these two Arabian stallions in 1880 and 1881,
getting three horse colts and one filly. I selected kindred blood as
found in Old Henry Clay's daughters and inbred granddaughters. I
handled the foals from the time they were born. Three were by
Linden and one by Leopard. Not one of them is ugly or inclined to
be vicious. All are broken, and not one has at any time offered to
kick or to strike, although the dams of each one were high-strung, high-
tempered mares, two of them particularly so. I found these Arab
colts, while very small, required different treatment from mongrels,
hence haltered and handled them myself up to this present time, in and

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." 15

about the stable, for that is the place the disposition is improved or
spoiled. When two years old, my daughter could drive the son of
Leopard anywhere, for he was fearless and reliable.

I will now speak particularly of the colors of Arabian horses. I
have before said that one of General Grant's stallions had been re-
ported through a leading daily paper as "jet-blacky Hundreds who
read that, will believe it and report it for fifty years to come, until it
becomes traditional. It is a bad mistake, as a black Arabian is an
unusual color, and denotes inferiority. I will quote again from Sir
W. S. Blunt: "Bay with black points, and with generally a white foot,
or two or three white feet, and a snip or blaze down the face, are
prominent among the Anazeh or Bint El Ahwaj breed. Grays are
also common, then chestnut of different shades. The spotted, or pie-
bald, or parti-colored horses are unknown among the pure Arabs.
The pure white is very highly prized."

At birth, the gray horse is black ; and the true black horse is born
of a brown shade. In the first moulting, the proper color shows itself to
the breeder. The dapple-gray will show gray at the first moulting, but
the blue-gray and black-gray will carry a black coat into the second
and third moulting, the black hairs always shedding first, so that the
novice is frequently puzzled to tell what colored horse he is to have at
maturity. The blue-gray grows to a white gray, but the dapple-gray
holds its distinctive color longest, as a rule.

Having bred my mares to General Grant's Arabs in the spring of
1880, I became quite anxious to know all particulars relating to them,
lest in future days some as yet unborn writer should tell his readers
that General Grant's horses were genuine imported Barbs, or maybe
Andalusian horses, when any old man knowing to the contrary would
be disputed into silence. The pedigrees of our horses credit Arabian
blood frequently in some of the fastest and most valued animals ; but
attempt to unravel such breedings, and one lands among the "said to
be's," which is not the case in England, or in Russia, or in France.
They breed thoroughbreds of various kinds, and tell you how they are
bred to a certainty; while with us, the time standard for the present
generation settles it all, in which blood is of no value except in the
black article known as printers' ink.

In fifteen years after Seward's Arabs were imported, any authentic
information as to their blood and breeding, their whereabouts, or their
get, was a difficult matter to get at. The same was the case with those
of James K. Polk, and so it has been in many instances where I have

I 5 GENERAL GRANTS ARABIAN STALLIONS,

investigated. If Arabian blood was of value to England, to France,
and to Russia, so it could be to America, for certainly we have not the
self-sustaining types in horses to do credit to any civilized country as
have the nations cited. Should we export our present horses ?

Having obtained all I could from Paymaster Smith, I awaited Gen-
eral E. F. Beale's return from California. From him I did not get
what I wanted. I then wrote to General Grant himself, and give below
his reply.

" Long Branch, N. J., July 28, 1882.
" Randolph Huntington, Rochester, N. Y.

" Dear Sir, — About my Arabian horses, I cannot answer all your questions,
but what I know I will give you.

"I was in Constantinople in March, 1S78, and visited the Sultan, and with
him his stables.

" All of his horses were of the most approved and purest blood (and there
were about seventy horses in the stables I visited). I was told that the pedigrees
of all of them ran back from five to seven hundred years (in breed).

" Two of the horses that I then saw were sent to me as a present from the
Sultan by the first steamer directly to the United States from that port. I do
not know the name of the steamer, nor the date of its departure or arrival. They
(the horses) were consigned to General E. F. Beale, of Washington City, who can
probably inform you upon those points. Leopard was five years old when I first
saw him, and Linden four, I think. I am certain as to the age of the first, and
think I am right about the age of the second.

" The fact of these horses being from the Sultan's own private stables, and
being a present from him as an appreciation of our country among the nations
of the earth, is the best proof of the purity of their blood.

" Very truly yours,

"U. S. GRANT."

I now knew that neither General Grant, General Beale, nor Pay-
master-General Smith could give me the identifying facts I wanted for
fifty years hence.

I remembered hearing my cousin, Mrs. Dr. Anderson, of New
Haven, Connecticut, say to me one day while visiting there, that Gen-
eral Grant had two horses arrive at that port by a foreign vessel, and
that they were said to be Arabians. Upon which she went to the doc-
tor's desk and took out some nails his blacksmiths had given him when
they removed the shoes to re-shoe the stallions.

As these remarks were incidental with other subjects at the time, 1
paid no special attention to them ; but memory often comes to our help,

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE.'

so I addressed a letter to William D. Anderson, M.D., New Haven,
Connecticut, and below give his reply :

" Randolph Huntington, Rochester, N. Y.

" Dear Sir, — I would say in reply that the Arabian stallions for General
Grant were shod by my blacksmiths, Messrs. Palmer & Bishop, in this city of
New Haven, Connecticut, on May 31, 1879; that they (the horses) having ar-
rived the day before direct from Constantinople by the steamer Norman Mon-
arch, Dunscomb, commander. The steamer at that time was chartered to freight
cartridges, guns, etc., to Turkey, from the Winchester Arms Company in this
city.

" She (the Norman Monarch) made the trip direct, entering and clearing at
this port. My blacksmith went on board and removed the shoes from the horses,
then took the stallions to his shop, where they were re-shod and kept in his
stables until delivered to Mr. J. K. Levitt, of the Blue Bell, Darby Road, Phila-
delphia, Pa., and from where he exhibited them until delivered to General E. F.
Beale at Washington City, for account of General U. S. Grant.

" Truly yours,

"WILLIAM D. ANDERSON, M.D.
"New Haven, Conn., August, 1882."

I next called upon Major J. K. Levitt, of Philadelphia, who told me
that in June, 1879, while driving a race at the Belmont Park, Mr. Ed-
wards called upon him with a despatch from General Beale, requesting
that he should go with Mr. Edwards to New Haven for two horses for
General Grant. That they brought them by boat to New York, and
thence to Philadelphia. That they were shown two weeks at Suffolk
Park, then at their fair, which association paid him for the exhibit.
Next the fair at Dover, Delaware, gave him two hundred dollars and
expenses to exhibit there. He then exhibited them a week at the
Washington, D. C, Agricultural Fair ; then at the fair at Alexandria,
Virginia. Next at the fair at Cumberland, West Virginia, and lastly at
the Doylestown Fair of Pennsylvania.

It now being late in the fall of 1879, Major Levitt ceased to care
for the horses, delivering them into the possession of General E. F.
Beale at Washington, D. C, to remain.

I have been particular in following up these two Arabian stallions
presented to General Grant. I deemed their blood of important value
to us. I would not condemn such breeders as ridicule Arabians, but
would ask questions.

If Arabian blood is of no value, why does England go back in her
records to so many importations of Arabian horses to create and sus-

,5 GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

tain her national thoroughbred running-horse? Why does Russia take
pride in referring to her Orloff trotting-horse as of Arabian origin ?
Why does France, through government statistics, show that her famous
Percheron draught-horse is moulded from the pliable blood of the
Arabian ?

When men condemn Arabian horses, let them cease to extol Mes-
senger, Diomed, Duroc, American Eclipse, Sir Archy, Boston, or Lex-
ington, each of which owed its greatness to Arabian blood ; Diomed
and Messenger being, as the reader knows, close-bred to the Arabian,
and Messenger, which name has been the mouth-piece for our breeders
and horsemen for seventy-five years, was three times inbred to the
Godolphin Arabian.

Young men think there has been wonderful improvement in our
horses during the past thirty years. I do not think so. When I take
up the little horse-shoe nail, but a trifle heavier than an old-fashioned
shawl-pin, or examine the shoe, the harness, the sulky, the tracks, the
system of training, with other improved advantages towards increased
rates of trotting speed, and then look at our inferior coach-horses, and
know the difficulty in obtaining even an ordinarily good pair, I must
say that our horses have degenerated, while our mechanical ingenuity
towards increased speed has augmented. That the number of trotting-
horses is greater than a few years ago, is because we have a greater
number of horses; and because one hundred are now trained for speed
where one was twenty years ago.

England, Scotland, France, and Russia have each a typical horse,
capable of reproducing its type with excellence in any land to which it
may be exported. They are the thoroughbred race-horse, the Clyde,
and the Percheron draught-horses, and the Orloff trotting-horse.
Every one of these types is a thoroughbred in its country, based upon
the Arabian; and, exported to any land, will reproduce itself physically
and instinctively, which our time-standard bred horses will not do at
present.

What we would term our national horse is of no positive blood, or
instinctive value. It cannot and will not reproduce itself in a creditable
manner to export as our national horse. Our system of breeding is
one of great mongrelization, which, as I have repeatedly written, means
uncertainty with degeneracy.

Our vast territory demands more horses than any other country.
Our unlimited grass lands invite and encourage the breeding of horses,
whether the owner of the lands be adapted as a breeder or not. Our

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." lg

varied climates and soil, with everywhere abundant and excellent water,
are most favorable to the raising of all kinds of stock for export.

The producing of specialties in the horse is demanded by our uses,
as well as required for general purposes.

The demand for coach-horses increases as our city people multiply
and wealth increases. A high form of coach-horse is in constant de-
mand, but exceedingly difficult to find. Such a horse is always a first-
class farm-horse, and can be a first-class road-horse, profitable to every
farmer to breed and to raise.

Our territory is so great, and our commercial interests so scattered
and extended, that the road-horse becomes an important feature, so
connected with commercial and agricultural pursuits that it should be
cultivated. Our great national sport is the trotting-race, which in Eng-
land is the running-race. The race- or running-horse is good for the
one purpose of running races. The trotting-horse can be used for
every purpose except running races ; hence to me it seems proper it
should become our national horse, to come under the intelligent head
of blood and breeding with instinctive trot.

A positive thoroughbred trotting-bred horse is a possibility ; and
the independent nature of the American people is such I feel they
should take a national pride in creating a national horse, independent
of any other nation. The Arabian horse, as we know, is the founda-
tion upon which England established her race-horse, Russia her trotting-
horse, and France her draught-horse.

We have proven that from the Arabian we can get the highest rates
of trotting speed. We know that its blood and instinct are more pli-
able to man's demands, for moulding into different families, than are
either of the European types cited. We know that our so-called
trotting-horse is not a positive reproducer of that ability. We know
that each exceptional case of high trotting speed traces to the Arab
not far away ; we know that the reunion, or bringing together of bloods
akin, of close affinity, gives the strongest results.

Thus, when the blood of Henry Clay (which was but a third remove
from the Arab) is bred to itself, increased speed is a certain result, and
when reinforced with fresh Arabian blood, a higher type is the result,
with the trotting instinct intensified.

The law in animal life as relates to breeding of positive types is
once away from a primitive blood, then three times back to it through
different channels.

As I have said, the horse Henry Clay was but a third remove from

20 GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

an imported Arabian, paternal, and more than thrice back upon the
maternal side. If his dam, Lady Surry, be discounted by some, they
must remember she was far above the old "Vintner mare" which has
figured so disparagingly in the English race-horse maternal foundation.

Through Henry Clay's daughters, granddaughters, and great-grand-
daughters we enlist the immortal names of Andrew Jackson and
Henry Clay in dams. As the male since the first of man has given
the name and founded the family, what more appropriate start could
be made for a laudable and positively independent national horse than
by bringing the foundation blood in the Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay
daughters, to a union with the pure, primitive, unquestioned blood of
General Grant's Arabian stallions ?

By so doing we should honor ourselves in our to be national horse,
through three of the greatest names our country has possessed.

First comes that of General U. S. Grant, known and respected by
all the nations of the earth, also loved by over fifty millions of people
as no other great captain ever was. On the maternal side we have
the General and ex-President in Jackson, who knew no fear; and in
Henry Clay a statesman without a peer. It is a singular coincidence
that we should have these three immortal, national names attached to
representative horses direct from the primitive horse, and independent
of any other nation, from which and upon which to found and create
" The National Thoroughbred Trottin^-bred horse of America !"
General Grant, Andrew Jackson, and Henry Clay.

The following transcript from English records, relating to the found-
ing and establishing of their thoroughbred running-horse, may be inter-
esting to many ; so I take the liberty of copying it from the London
" Field" of some time since. It will be noticed that from the early
attempts in England to establish a thoroughbred running-horse they had
great difficulty, owing to internal and external wars, with many troubles
recorded in history ; but that they depended entirely upon Arabian
blood the following transcript will show. The same was the case in
Russia for the creating of their thoroughbred Orloff trottingdiorse,
which records are very interesting and more authentic than are the
early English records. So, too, in France, in matter of their Percheron,
they are more definite. In Russia and in France the government gave

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." 2I

support to the attempts, once the individuals had laid the foundation ;
but in each case the plastic Arabian blood had to be resorted to.

ARAB HORSES AND THE TURF.

" Sir, — I am unable to say precisely when the Royal Stud at Tutbury
fell into the hands of the Parliamentarians ; but it must have been some
time prior to July, 1643, as on the 23d of that month four Government
commissioners, viz., Mildemay, Lempriere, Carteret, and Grafton, ar-
rived at the stud for the purpose of making a true inventory of the
race-horses kept there, ' being part of the late king's personal estate.'
Four days after the date of their arrival the inventory was completed,
and was duly signed and sealed by each of those inquisitors. Appar-
ently the work was done in a slovenly and careless manner, and it is
probable serious mistakes were occasionally committed by the commis-
sioners in confusing the names of the stallions with those of the ani-
mals enumerated in the catalogue, and vice versa. This inventory, or
catalogue, though most interesting, is too long to transcribe here in
detail ; suffice it to say that it consisted of one hundred lots, compris-
ing twenty-three mares and their foals, fifteen mares four years old and
upwards, sixteen three-year-old fillies and colts, seventeen two-year-old
fillies and colts, twenty-two yearling fillies and colts, and twenty-three
horses four years old and upwards ; one hundred and thirty-nine head,
all told. No specific mention of any stallion occurs in the inventory
(except, as in some cases it may be inferred, that the name of the stal-
lion, and not that of the lot, was intended to be given), hence it is prob-
able that the sires were removed and kept at some other place at the
time this inventory was taken. A valuation of each lot is given, — the
whole amounting to nineteen hundred and eighty-two pounds, or an
average of not quite fourteen guineas per head.

" There is no doubt whatever that many of those lots were imme-
diately descended from the Digby and Villiers Arabs previously referred
to, of which the latter had been imported by James I., towards the latter
end of his reign. Let us take a few instances : (Lot 5) ' Black Mo-
rocco. One black mare with a few white haires in the forehead, 5 yeares
old, with a horse foale, £22! (Lot 9) ' Morocco. One brown bay
mare with a starre, two white heels behind, 1 2 yeares old, with a horse
foale, ^25.' (Lot 24) ' Young Morocco. One bay mare without white,
4 yeares old, with a horse foale, ^16.' (Lot 35) ' Black Morocco. One
black mare without white, 10 yeares old, ,£10.' (Lot 52) 'Morocco.
One browne bay horse with a little starr, 5 yeares old, £t>°' Here

GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

we see the same name given to lot 9 and lot 52, the former a twelve-
year-old mare, the latter a five-year-old horse, by which it is evident
that the stallion, and not the name of the lot in the inventory (as in a
modern Tattersall catalogue), was intended to be given. 'Browne
Newcastle' likewise precedes lot 6 and lot 22, the former a ' browne
bay mare without white, 6 yeares old, with a mare foale, ,£15 ;' and the
latter a 'browne bay mare without white, 7 yeares old, with a mare
foale, £22,.' The highest valuations in the catalogue were put upon
the produce of Rupert, an Arab stallion belonging to the Yilliers
' race,' lots 53, 64, 66, and 69 in rotation, which are described as fol-
lows : ' One bright bay horse, witli a starr and a snip, 4 white feete,
black list downe the back, 4 yeares old, ^35. One browne bay [horse]
without white, 4 yeares old, ^35. One browne bay horse, 4 yeares old,
with a starre, ,£25. One bright bay horse with a black list, and one
white foote, ^25.' It is evident some of Sir John Fenwick's famous
Arabian ' race' were introduced into the royal racing stud, as I find lot
25 is entered thus: ' Sorrell Fennick [so spelt by the Duke of New-
castle in his Magnum Opus], one Sorrel mare with a blaze, 9 yeares
old, with a mare foale, £iS.' So also with the celebrated Arab stud
maintained at this time, and subsequently after the Restoration, at Wel-
beck Abbey by the Duke of Newcastle, as indicated by lots 2, 3, 6, 18,
22, 26, 59, 61, 96, 9S, and 99, from which we may infer (taken with other
corroboratory evidence) that the royal mares in King Charles's stud were
occasionally served by stallions belonging to those notable breeders in
the seventeenth century. Upon the whole, this inventory, though im-
perfectly and carelessly drawn up, proves that the principal, and prob-
ably the subordinate lots at the royal stud, immediately prior to the year
1643, were derived from and represented in the Arab blood, which was
deemed indispensable by the best breeders of those days. As to the
yearlings, the two-year-old and the three-year-old colts and fillies, from
lot 36 to lot 49, no reference is made to either sire or dam, the color,
marks, age, and valuation of each lot only being recorded. But lots 68
and 72 — the former a three-year-old gray colt, valued at twelve pounds,
the latter a three-year-old bay colt, valued at fifteen pounds — were got
by Frisell, a son of the Markham Arabian. (Frisell is also mentioned
as the stallion of lot 14 — 'a bright bay mare, with a streake, 12 yeares
old, with a horse foale, ,£22.') The other yearlings, two- and three-
year-old colts and fillies, from lot 73 to lot 95, are simply described and
valued, without any clue of their names or parentage being given. It
is unfortunate that these omissions should have occurred, particularly

'•LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE." 2,

as the sequestrators, by a little trouble and inquiry, could have obtained
the necessary information from Mr. Gregory Julian, who, as yeoman
of the stud, was still in office, although the Marquis of Hamilton, and
many of the officials previously mentioned, had ceased to exercise their
several duties at erst royal haras. It may be, however, that the omis-
sions to which I have referred as occurring in the two contemporary
transcripts of this inventory which I have had access to — one in the
Record Office, the other in the Victoria Tower, House of Lords — are
supplied in the original document preserved among the Marquis of
Salisbury's manuscripts at Hatfield, which I have not seen.

" Such was the state of the king's stud at Tutbury when the inventory
was finished, July 27, 1649. Prior to this date, however, a bay horse,
three years old, and a black horse, five years old, by Newcastle, had
been 'taken up' by Quartermaster Tomlinson. These were returned
to the stud, and figure in the inventory at a valuation of thirty pounds
each. Colonel Sanders obtained two black horses, five years old, and
a bay mare ' with a tanned mussell, 8 years old, with a mare foale,'
which remained in his custody, the horses being valued at twenty pounds
each, and the mare and foal at sixteen pounds.

" No time was lost by the authorities in London in taking action as
to the future of the ex-royal stud. On July 31 the Council of State at
Whitehall had the inventory under consideration, when it was decided
that in consequence of the great destruction of horses during the late
wars, and as Tutbury was 'the only place in England' where provision
could be made of a good breed, and the sale of the stock at this time
preserved there would not equal what it amounted to in the way it was
then used, the Council determined not to sell off the horses until further
consideration. This decision was received with general satisfaction, for
the Roundheads liked a good horse as much as the Cavaliers. And it
may be noted that in suppressing horse-racing, the Parliamentarians
were not actuated by any innate antipathy to the Turf, as they were
constrained to do so chiefly owing to the excuse which a projected race
meeting presented to the Royalists to assemble, under cover of the sport,
to disseminate sedition. Indeed, they but followed the example of
the Royalists in that respect, for it is on record that General Sir Jacob
Astley suppressed a race meeting at Berwick in the spring of 1 639,
which was projected by the Scotch Covenanters chiefly as a rendezvous
to mass their forces in a favorable position to resist the king's army.

" Turning from this digression to the vicissitudes of the royal stud at
Tutbury in 1649, the next thing we hear of it was when the House of

GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS,

Commons, on August 29, passed a vote of thanks to Colonel Jones on
the occasion of his recent victory over the forces of the Duke of Ormond
in Ireland, coupled with a pension of one thousand pounds a year to
him 'and his heyres for ever in Ireland;' and 'six of the best horses in
Titbury race to be selected and sent to him, as a gratuity from the
House.' This draft was duly selected and sent to Ireland, and it is a
singular fact that some years afterward?, five of these half-dozen royal
stud barbs were acquired by the Earl of Thomond, by whom the strain
was carefully preserved, which doubtless accounts for the many victories
won by the race-horses owned and bred by the O'Briens in England
and Ireland after the Restoration, and on to the beginning of the pres-
ent century. Throughout the autumn of 1649 and the spring of 1650,
much solicitude was evinced by the Council of State in the welfare of
the Tutbury establishment, upon the choice treasures contained wherein
Oliver Cromwell was casting covetous eyes. Many other lords and
commoners followed the Protector's lead in that respect; so much so,
that the Council were induced to appoint a committee to consider how
the stud ' may be so disposed that the breed be not lost.' This committee
consisted of the Earl of Salisbury, Lords Howard, Lisle, and Grey, Sir
Arthur Haselrigge, Sir William Constable, Sir William Armyne, Sir H.
Mildmay, Colonel Morley, Mr. Bond, and Mr. Scott. They appear to
have done nothing except to dismiss Gregory Julian, and in his stead to
appoint Major Edward Downes, to whom the whole business of the
stud was committed. But the final dispersal now approached apace, as
on the 2d of July Cromwell obtained six of the best horses, and on the
following day, a draft from the colts were 'chosen' for him. It is un-
necessary here to follow all the incidents of the dispersal, as it will be
sufficient to mention that on December 9, Downes, the custodian, re-
ceived final instructions to dispose of the remaining animals at the best
prices obtainable; but he was to allow Lord Grey 'to be furnished'
with whatever lots he desired without prejudice to the sale. By Janu-
ary 5, 1 651, all the animals were sold and distributed; the money de-
rived by the sale was handed over to the Council of State. Downes
was paid off and dismissed, when the royal stud at Tutbury, founded
by James I., and so well sustained by his successor, ceased to exist. It
is a remarkable circumstance that in many instances those who obtained
drafts from the Tutbury stud, and bred from the strain, were conspicu-
ous in offering to contribute, in kind, towards the resuscitation of the
royal stud, nine years later on, when the king 'enjoyed his own again.'
At this time the Tutbury strain was distributed over many parts of

"LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN TREE,"

the country, and although there was no public racing, unremitting
attention was paid by those possessing 'royal mares' and ' Tutbury
stallions' to preserve the breed pure and undefiled. But the most re-
markable, and by far the most important, contribution to Charles II. 's
racing stud was the magnificent animal above mentioned, which Oliver
Cromwell had obtained from Tutbury in July, 1650. During this inter-
val of the Lord Protector's sway, he was one of the greatest breeders
of thoroughbred stock, first at Hampton Court, and afterwards at New
Hall in Essex. In this interval Cromwell imported many Arabian stal-
lions. His White Turk was one of the most celebrated sires of the
Commonwealth. Cromwell's weakness for Arab horses was well known
to Mazarin, so much so, that on one occasion, when the crafty cardinal
wanted to circumvent Colonel Lockhart (the ambassador of England
at the French court), he overcame the envoy's diplomatic scruples by
presenting him ' with four exceedingly fine Arab horses for the saddle,'
which his Excellency pronounced to be the finest he ever saw, adding
that ' his lord and master would be mightly pleased with them.' Thus

we find in Cromwell's stud not only the choice animals of Tutbury,

the royal mares, horses, and colts, and their descendants which have
been carefully bred therein during those nine years, — but frequent ad-
ditions of new Arab blood, from which the highest breeding advantages
were expected, and doubtless attained. At any rate, the fame of Crom-
well's stud was well known to the merry monarch, as almost the first
order he issued at the Restoration was that those horses, ' said to be
the best in England,' should be seized, and returned to the royal stud.
The result of that order is well known, and all horses, except Coffin
Mare, soon after became the personal property of Charles II., and
formed the nucleus of his racing establishment, which subsequently
turned out so many winners on the race-courses of his kingdom durino-
his remarkable reien.

"J. P. H."

GENERAL GRANT'S ARABIAN STALLIONS.

Florizel.

L Dam by

. Dam by..

Tartar-

Partner by Jig by Byerley Turk.

| Fox (sire Messenger's 4th dam), ou

Grey Diomed..

Herod..

L Cygnet Mare

Spectator .

Dam by..

Medley

Dam by..

Bedford..

Meliora..

■{■

Cypron.

•| of Bay Peg by Lced's Arabian.
{ Milkmaid by Blackett's Snail.
Blaze (4th sire Messenger paternal line), son of Chil-
ders by Darley's Arabian.
Selima by Bethel's Arabian.
Cygnet by Godolphin Arabian.
T. . f Cartouch by Bald Galloway by Victor's Barb.

uam Dy 1 Ebony by Childers by Darley's Arabian.

Crab by Alcock's Arabian.

I P. inner out of Meliora by Fox (sire Messenger's 4th
dam), out of Bay Peg by Leed's Arabian,
f Bay Bolton by Grey Hautboy by
Bonny Lass.... -; Hautboy by D'Arcy's White lurk.
[ Dam by barley's Arabian.
Blank, son of Godolphin Arabian.
I n , ( Childers by Darley's Arabian

L uam Dy j Miss Belvoir by Grey Grantham by Brownlow Turk.

Gimcrack by Cripple, son of G»>dulphin Ar.ibian.

f Snap by Snip, son of Childers, by Darley's Arabian.
Aminda .... \ Mi;>s Cleveland by R.gulus (sire Messenger's gr.uidani)

by G> 'dolphin Arabian.
Sloe by Crab, son of Alcock's Arabian.

Vampire by Regulus (sire Messenger's grandamj by

Godolphin Arabian.
Calista.

O'Kelley's Eclipse, all Arab, close up.
Aspasia, her dam Dorris by Blank, son of Godolphin
Arabian.
Fairy by Highflyer, out of Fairy Queen, by young Cade by Cade by
Godolphin Arabian.

f Imp Traveller by Partner (dam by
D . „ Bloody Buttocks Arabian) by Jig

Par,ner j by Byerley lurk. J

[ Selima by Godolphin Arabian.
Kitty Fisher by Cade by Godolphin Arabian.

Regulus (sire Messen-
ger's grandam) by
Godolphin Arabian.
Silveitail, dam by
Rattle, grandam by
I 1 .11 ley's Arabian.
Dolly Fine by Old Silvereye by Cul-
len's Arabian.
[ Dolly Fine by Old Silvereye by Cullen's Arabian.
Sampson, son of Blaze by Flying Childers, out of Curwin Barb Mare
by Darley's Arabian.
I Dam by Youn^ Greyhound (grandam Curwin Mare by Bay Barb) by
Arab Greyhound.
Cade Mare by Cade, son of Godolphin Arabian.
Turf, son of Matchem, son of Cade by Godolphin Arabian,
f Regulus, son of Godolphin Arabian.

Dam by \ f Starling, son of Bay Bolton, Grey Hautboy by Haut-

[ Dam by \ boy by White Turk.

I By Fox by Clumsy by Hautboy by White Turk,
English Eclipse, inbred to Arab blood.

Sportsmistress, dam Golden Locks by Oronooko by Crab by Alcock's Arabian
Gimcrack by Cripple, son of Godolphin Arabian.
Claimed to be Snapdragon by Sn3p, inbred to Byerley Turk.

(Gimcrack by Cr
Aminda \

(Sloe by Crab, s(
Dam by -I

(
Dungannon . -j

Virginia.

Cade

Dam by..

Hickman's
Independence

Fearnaught..

Florizel.

, Dam by..

Rockingham.

Tabitha .

C Partner by Jig by Byerley Turk.

f Tartar... I f Fox (sire Messenger's 4th dam), out

|_ Meliora -j of Bay Peg by Leed's Arabian.

Herod \ I Milkmaid by Blackett's Snail.

f Blaze (4th sire paternal line from Messenger) by Chil-
ly Cypron -I ders by Darley's Arabian.

{[ Selima by Bethel's Arabian.
Cygnet by Godolphin Arabian.
' . f Cartouch by Bald Galloway bv Victor's Barb.

mm b? 1 Ebony by Childers by Darley's Arabian.

f Crab by Alcock's Arabian.

Spectator * Partner Mare, dam Bonny Lass by Bay Bolton, grandam by Darley's

[ Arabian.
Dam bv Blank, son of Godolphin Arabian.

I Tartar by Partner (out of Meliora by Fox, sire of Mes-
sengeKS 4th dam) by Jig by Byerley Turk.
Cypron by Blaze, 4th sire in paternal line of Mes-
senger, by Childers by Darley's Arabian.
Blank, son of Godolphin Arabian.
Daughter of Regulus, sire of Messenger* s grandam,
by Godolphin Arabian.
! Matchem by Cade, son of Godolphin Arabian.
Squirt Mare by Squirt, son of Bartlett's Childers, Darley's Arabian,
and Godolphin Arabian.
Sweepstakes, inbred to Godolphin Arabian.
Miss South by South, son of Regulus, sire of Messenger* s grandam by
(_ Godolphin Arabian.
Dam by Bosphorus, son of Babraham by Godolphin Arabian.

w
w

I PC

I w

i £

O c

a -a

o. o

E 35

"GENERAL BEALE," "HEGIRA," AND "ISLAM,

STALLION SONS OF GENERAL U. S. GRANT'S ARABIANS "LEOPARD" AND "LINDEN,"

AND THEIR DAUGHTER

"CLAYRABI A,"

ALSO GRANDDAUGHTER

"CLAYBEALE GRAN T."

Beale is a o-olden sorrel, marked with a handsome straight white
stripe in the face, gray at the root of the tail, a long white dash under
the brisket, two white ankles forward, and nigh hind white sock. He
was foaled June 25, 1881 ; was got by Leopard from Mary Sheppard,
a black-roan mare fifteen and one-quarter hands high, by Jack Shep-
pard by Henry Clay, from his own daughter. Beale is fifteen hands
high.

Hegira is a coal-black, with faint star and white on all four feet.
He was got by Linden from Nell Pixley by Henry Clay ; was foaled
July 9, 1882, and stands fifteen and one-quarter hands high at three
years old. Nell Pixley, his dam, was bred by Supervisor Pixley, of
Monroe County, New York. She is fifteen and one-half hands high,

strong.

Islam is a dark chestnut, with two white ankles behind. He was
got by Linden from Nell Andrews by Red Bird by Henry Clay ; was
foaled May 12, 1882, and stands fifteen hands high at three years old.
His dam is also a dark chestnut, with two white ankles behind and
stripe in the face ; and her dam was also a dark chestnut mare inbred
to Morgan blood. The dam of Islam is fifteen and one-quarter hands
high.

28 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

Clayrabia is an iron-gray without white. She was by Linden from
Mag Wadsworth by Colonel Wadsworth by Henry Clay, from Colonel's
own daughter. Clayrabia is fifteen hands and her dam fourteen and
one-half hands high. Clayrabia was foaled July 14, 1881, and is much
larger than her dam.

Claybeale Grant is a chestnut, with stripe in the face and three white
legs, the nigh one forward and two behind. She was by General Beale,
already mentioned and described ; she is also his first get. The dam
of Claybeale Grant is Nell Andrews, who was also the dam of Islam
by Linden, and Islam was her virgin foal. Claybeale is the last of three
foals from Nell, and is the largest at same age of the three ; and while
all three were perfect and beautiful, this daughter of General Beale is
the handsomest foal I have ever seen, except General Beale by Leopard,
from Mary Sheppard.

It has been a challenging question to me since the spring of 18S0,
why I bred to General Grant's Arabians ?

Now having told the reader what I got, and a little of the dams,
I will try to explain my reasons ; also what governed me in the selec-
tion of dams tor the purpose. It was by no means an impulsive move
upon my part, but the result of long-considered, intelligent reasoning.

Had I anticipated the abusive condemnation I was to draw upon
myself, and the privations to be suffered, resulting even in financial em-
barrassment in the end, through a necessary holding of the stock for
the purpose of just estimation of individual values before reproduc-
tion,— in fact, a thorough knowledge of the blood instinct, with con-
stitutional fitness for reproduction in each individual case, — added to
which was to be incessant physical and mental application, without one
single day of rest, with now and then sporting-paper attacks upon an
exceedingly sensitive nature, I hardly think my courage would have
been equal to the undertaking ; nor would it have been except through
faith.

God has so ordered things that it is not always men of large means
who accomplish great results through discoveries, rediscoveries, or in-
ventions ; nor are improvements in already adapted and adopted dis-
coveries and inventions made by such men ; but their wealth does
become the means through which they become recognized.

Since the days of King Solomon there is no record of men of
wealth having become direct instruments in important scientific or
mechanical progress, because they could see no immediate money re-
turns. There are, however, occasional instances of men of grand

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." 2Cj

latent natures, with noble impulses, who, having concentrated their
energies upon the getting of wealth, and finding in their latter days
that "all this was but vanity and vexation of spirit," and realizing their
deficiencies as men, have tried to, in a measure, atone for previous
neglects through legacies of large sums of money or property from
their accumulations to educational or charitable institutions. Now, the
simple commission upon distribution of such donations would, if given
during their lifetime, have conduced greatly to their pleasure and credit,
even to insuring the completion of some great enterprise which had
failed for want of means at the very moment when prompt, liberal
assistance would have caused a triumphant success, benefiting their
country.

Courage was planted in man's nature to enable him to accomplish.
It is essential to success ; but with courage must be enthusiasm, which
latter is to courage what fire is to water for steam, — the direct motive-
power.

My main reason for breeding to General Grant's Arabs was the
hope that something should grow into a national value from the Arabian
blood. To give other reasons in detail necessarily involves reflections
covering a lifetime, hence my writings will be tiresome to uninterested
persons.

My prominence through sporting journals for many years has caused
some to call me visionary ; these men, however, were hardly students
of animal life, but were intent listeners at the battery which clicked the
changes in the money or stock values, in which their life was absorbed.
This class have called me enthusiastic, forgetting that but for their own
enthusiasm with concentrated thought they would not be so devoted to
the one idea of money-getting, to the sacrifice of all else, even to their
better natures.

My worst enemy has been the public executioner, prejudice, who
can have no reason why he should or should not kill, but to kill !

The people ask, Why did you breed to General Grant's Arabs ?

Permit me to say, first of all, that I am a firm believer in Bible his-
tory, as the oldest authentic records known to man. This history dates
in Arabia, where all created life was first named ; and here the horse
known to man has been called, for all time, the Arabian horse, and, as
such, the one uniformly perfect horse. All things by God were made
perfect. Nothing made by Him had to be made over. Of all types
of horses, the Arabian is the only one so plastic and mollient in its
nature, mental and physical, as to be successfully used by man for the

30 "GENERAL BE ALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

producing of varieties. No other type of horse can be moulded so
quickly into other self-sustaining ones. Attempts with other of man's
created forms can produce sub-varieties, only as the one same plastic
affinity blood of the Arabian be intensified in the product, through
union in the parents; but this requires greater time, with more uncer-
tain results ; and one may well exclaim, " Life is too short for the ex-
periment." Moreover, through such subdivision attempts by man new
disorders, mental and physical, are caused, through a violation of Na-
ture's (God's) laws. Our greatest results are through a close relation
to the ever self-sustaining, primitive blood, or positive God-power in an
original type.

Let me cite different types of horses as we may know them to be a
result of man's work ; keeping in mind as we write or read that the
executioner, prejudice, stands always ready to dispute what it cannot
understand, and to kill !

Now, refer to the transcript introduced a few pages back, from the
largest paper of the kind in the world, the London " Farm, Field, and
Garden." That transcript is of authentic records, and by them we
know the English thoroughbred race-horse was a direct product from
Arabian blood, through repeated resort to it ; and that the English
thoroughbred race-horse was not indigenous to that country, which
very many otherwise intelligent men in this country devoted to race-
horses make superficial horse-fanciers and breeders believe.

Now again, this English race-horse was produced to run races, and
for no other purpose. His mental and physical whole was rigidly
moulded by man, from the Arabian, into what he is to-day ; and to
ntain these qualities to their highest excellence, he is by law inbred to
his own blood.

When at last he had become a self-sustaining type, he was named
" the English thoroughbred race-horse," and recognized as their " na-
tional horse," devoted exclusively to their national sport of running
races ; and as chance, or gambling, is one of the prominent instincts
of man, this horse became exclusively a gambling horse ; hence the
national sporting laws demanded that he be consecutively inbred to his
own blood. Bitt one blood could be introduced as legitimate and
proper, and that was of God's horse, — the Arabian, or primitive.

When this English thoroughbred horse was of no value to run races
for money, it was necessary to dispose of him at some price. His phys-
ical adaptability and high-strung nervous organization rendered him
unfit for the yeoman, so he was put to stage-coach uses; but here he

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." , I

was unmanageable, except with a rider upon his back, and as his only
gait was to run, the necessary riders were now termed or named pos-
tilions.

As the wars diminished in Europe, and greater attention was given
to agriculture, the people demanded horses fit for that work ; hence
draught-horses had to be produced, but the thoroughbred runnine-
horse could not be moulded into adaptability for such uses.

The first crosses down from it were necessarily mongrel, and were
termed " cock-tails" or " quarter-horses." The next remove down were
branded with the created appellation of "dung-hills," that they might
be forever discarded by the nobility; and this is the class of horses our
sporting-paper writers continually harp upon as the only class of horses
fit for the American gentleman's coach or road-wagon, — i.e., the English
nobility's discarded " dung-hills." Such writers certainly cannot know
these truths, or they would not so advocate.

The Arabian blood, I have said, was plastic to mould into any form
or type. This people did not know ; hence looked about for horses to
answer their purposes for work whose build should be suitable, and
whose temper would be quiet and tractable. With mongrelization
comes cold blood and grossness of flesh, also softness of bone and
dull intellect. Men think beef or crossness of flesh means strength ;
strength comes with nerve-power ; and as we improve the animal in
blood, the muscle becomes more firm and hard, the bone smaller, but
more dense, and the nerve-power gives greater strength, even to the
do or die qualities desired. No other horse can endure, for an equal
length of time and upon low diet, what the thoroughbred Arabian can.
Cromwell and the " Roundheads" had taken many Arabian horses
into Scotland to be bred down, and from these came the Clydesdale.
The Flanders horse was brought into England, and by degrees they
bred into a class of horses suitable for the demands of the English
people ; not knowing, however, what bloods were accountable for the
animal now so useful to them. The thoroughbred run nine-horse lost
its value to the masses, becoming a toy for the nobility, of great ex-
pense, which only the very wealthy had use for; and that use was run-
ning races for a pastime in their idleness, and for chance or gambling-
Grades from the thoroughbred running-horse were less vicious and ex-
citable, so were adapted to fox-hunts and other great sport for the
nobility ; and from a still lower grade was formed the " Cleveland Bay,"
a self-sustaining type, but unable, of its own mongrelized blood, to
create other more valuable horses. This " Cleveland Bay" is called

32 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

the English coach-horse, and there he stops, as a non-producer of other
desirable types.

In France a few wealthy noblemen, with the breeder's gift, imported
Arabian stallions and mares, from which experiments were tried in a
new climate, and upon different soil, with better and more abundant
feed. Without knowledge, their efforts were of no special results; but
with experiment came information. Fresh Arabs were imported, among
them Godolphin Arabian and Gallipoli. These two Arabian stallions
were bred on to now native (in France) Arabian blood, upon the prin-
ciple of "once out and thrice back to a primitive blood," and the
horse of the country became known as La Perche, later the Norman
Percheron.

Godolphin Arabian went to England to be the getter of the best
running-horses they had up to his day, because he reinforced his own
blood ; but coming through French ownership as he did, with English
national pride, they for a time ignored Godolphin Arabian, trying to fix
their type as purely "national," by saying their own importations were
the factors, and their Darley Arabian the cause.

However, the blood of Godolphin Arabian left in La Perche in
sons and daughters, uniting with affinity blood of Gallipoli in sons ami
daughters (once out and thrice back), made a strong foundation before
the French breeders were aware of it for their now beautiful national
horse, the "Percheron." (Please refer to the French government sta-
tistics gathered and contributed by the veteran author Charles Du Hays,
also by Mons. Fardouet.)

Intelligent and gifted men like Du Hays and Fardouet encouraged
close breeding of the type now founded, and the result of such close
relationships has given them a horse demanded the world over where
draught-horses are wanted, while the demand for the English race-horse
is limited to the sporting fraternity, either of the nobility or the lower
grades who live by gambling.

It is not so many years, after all, since these two families of " national
horses" were created and established. The possibilities in man are
very great where concerted action is taken ; but, unfortunately, one-
half of man's life is spent in discord and opposition. Every man has
an opinion, thinking he knows best; or, finding he does not know, dis-
likes to yield ; and if he has an abundance of means will, from no
laudable motives, devote all his capital with his energies to kill the
object which he knows will mortify his pride, especially when he can
see and know that success is bound to come with the superior man, of

i <

W I

"CLAYRABIA" AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." 33

low financial estate, who has presumed to know more than himself.
Ao-ain, certain classes of journalists are a fearful obstacle to rapid
progress. They are but weather-cocks of public opinion ; but, being
men, are warped by the almighty dollar, with neither information nor
interest at stake upon success or failure of any great enterprise beyond,
as I have said, the money for their pen and type to themselves.

I have said enough about the English race-horse to have shown that
he is of Arabian origin, and of no value except to run races. To breed
him up, or to sustain his vitality, no blood can be introduced but his own
primitive blood of the Arabian. To breed him down, makes the English
nobility's "dung-hill," or American gentleman's road- and coach-horse,
for such as like to ride behind them.

I have abundantly shown that both the English race-horse and the
French Percheron were created by man from the God horse, or Arabian.
It is no sacrilege to say God's horse, for He made the Arabian, from
which man made the mongrels.

Let us now go to Russia and inquire into their national horse.
It is called the " Russian Orloff trotting-horse." This horse should be
an argument for the American people. Russia, like America, is a vast
territory, and has use for general purpose horses such as have speed
at the trotting gait and can endure for long distances. They, too, as
a people, wanted what they had not got for work purposes, and particu-
larly the road. They tried the English running-horse, only to prove
to themselves, as have we, that he was of no good except to run
races.

It seems unfortunate that individuals should be called upon to fight,
single-handed, battles for important improvements through rediscov-
eries or inventions, but that is God's will.

To Count Alexis Orloff is due the Russian trotting-horse bearing
his name. The count imported an Arabian stallion, and by him created
a type, through in-and-in breeding after his first out-cross. Do not
understand by first out-cross as one single get, but from selections from
all the get by one horse out of differently bred mares. Thus, Count
Orloff used Danish mares of low type and English running mares, that
blood being at that time strongly the affinity or Arabian blood.

At the time of Count Orloff' s death he had a family of thorough-
bred trotting-bred horses, which the people had learned to value so
highly that the government purchased the entire collection late in the
forties, or in 1845.

Up to the time of the count's death he would sell no stallion, feeling

-,, "GENERAL BEALE" " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

that in order to create the type pure and to be recognized as strictly
thoroughbred it must be under one man's control, or until so numerous
and fixed in its type as to remain so. In that particular I can sympa-
thize with Count Orloff. I will here speak of my individual self in my
attempts. Men knowing the burden I was financially carrying, and
desiring to help me without putting their hands into their own pockets,
would urge me to sell, bringing friends to buy the very choicest of my
stock, which had just reached an age ior reproduction, and which, being
close bred to purification, were my life in the enterprise. Such gentle-
men, while they intended well, would ruin me through an uninformed
attempt to assist, or become angry because I would not destroy, as they
suggested, through sale.

After the imperial government of Russia had purchased the Count
Orloff family, — now sufficiently numerous to produce liberally, — they
continued to hold annual sales of young or surplus stock, the govern-
ment being surety for purity in blood and breeding.

For interesting information upon this question I refer the reader to
Mr. A. J. Rousseau's publication upon the methods pursued by Count
Orloff in breeding and founding this justly-celebrated "national trot-
ting-, road-, and coach-horse." This horse is so bred, and is so intensely
Arabian, that, like imported Messenger (which was three times inbred
to the Godolphin Arabian), it will cross with any class of horses, im-
proving the family it is crossed upon.

The Orloff is himself a superior coach-horse, an untiring stage-
horse, and a whirlwind of trotting speed for road or sporting purposes.

During our Grand Central Circuit Meeting (trotting), a few years
since, some, then recently imported, Orloff stallions were exhibited
upon the track here at Rochester, New York. I examined them care-
fully in the boxes, and found them the counterpart of old Andrew
Jackson and his best son, Henry Clay. In physical conformation they
were identical with the get of Jackson and Clay, also in color and dis-
position. When shown at speed upon our track, I heard many farmers
remark that it was a fraud to show them as Russian horses, for they
were only Clays !

I have now introduced the reader to three typical " national horses,"
each one representing a nation independent and powerful in resources
and wealth, also advanced in the arts and sciences from cultured and
refined civilization. Each nation had resorted to the Arabian horse
from which to create ; and, with national pride or independence, no one
had obtained his foundation from the mongrelizations of the other, but

" CLA YRABIA," AND " CLA YBEALE GRANT.'

had taken the primitive God-made animal, that all honor and glory-
should come to Him, the eternal ruler of the universe.

Ward's Science Shops, at Rochester, New York, hold a front place
before all the scientific world. They are near me, and I often resort
to them for study. One old man, Professor Ballay (a Frenchman), has
for fifty years been handling bones as an osteologist ; indeed, we may
say, he has lived among the skeletons of the animal kingdom since a
boy, passing through the first shops and schools in Germany, France,
and England to these of Professor Henry A. Ward, of Rochester.

From him I learned much. His familiarity with the bony anatomy
of the animal kingdom was such that at sight he could tell almost any
bone handed to him, to what animal or species of animal, and in what
part of the frame, it belonged.

My library took in Darwin, Huxley, Proctor, and Tyndall, all of
whom I had studied, but had put to one side as of very highly-cultured
imaginations. The facts of life, of death, or creation, they failed to
reach.

Old Ballay was quite profane at times, so I asked him one day if
he believed there was a God. " Most certainly !" he replied. " Do you
believe in the teachings of the Bible?" I asked him. "Yes, sir; I do,"
was his answer. I now asked him what he thought of Darwin, Huxley,
and Proctor. " Well," he answered, " I think Mr. Darwin fancied he was
a great man when he was young, but as he grew older, and found
what a fool he had been in much of his writings, he thought he would
go on and see how many and how great fools he could make of other
men." Of evolution, the old man said, it could never stop. "If animal
life owed its varieties to evolution, changes would be continuous ; but
here I have been dissecting and mounting skeletons for fifty years, and
have seen skeletons that were a thousand years old, and every time the
bones were the same in the different animals to which they belonged.
The same was the case in the human skeleton. If anything in life was
of spontaneous growth, it would continue to change; if the different
families were results of crosses out of positive families, sporting back
to one or the other of original types would be a necessary result, and
the bony anatomy would first detect the started change, if there were
any in struchire. On the contrary, it was ever the same over and over
again, just as God first made it. Then again, abrupt crosses produced
life, but the new life being a violation of God's laws could not repro-
duce itself." Ballay's workshop had been with the dead, but his
thoughts had been of life.

^5 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA" "ISLAM,"

Of domestic families he spoke of the high type and the low. The
bones in each told of the blood and breeding of the animal. The high
types were nearest to God's creation, but the low types of mongreliza-
tion spoke of man's ignorance, were soft and porous.

The more the animal was mongrelized the softer and more porous
the bones became, also larger than in the foundation type. Mr. Ballay
was no horseman, nor was he in any way interested in them, nor did he
know of the different names of horses ; but he cited the two skeletons
he had mounted for the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. One
was of the thoroughbred Lexington, the other of Old Henry Clay. The
first had been removed from the flesh, not subject to decomposition ;
the latter, of Old Henry Clay, had been subject to fourteen years' burial
in the ground. He had cleaned, prepared, and mounted both, and pro-
nounced those of Henry Clay as from the best-bred animal, being finer,
more dense, and of an elastic character peculiar to the highest bred
animal. Those of Lexington were dense but brittle, showing inferior
blood and breeding. When I introduce the Arabian origin of Old
Henry Clay, I will let the intelligent student reason it out. Self-teaching
is the most effective. I am a self-convicted believer in the Bible and in
God, as I also know Mr. Henry M. Stanley to have been. The more
I studied into animal life, the more I became interested in Bible history,
seeking it for information I could nowhere else obtain. The deeper I
went, the more insignificant the scientific works I possessed (treating
upon such subjects) became.

I have told the reader a little of what I knew of the breedings from
the Arabian horse by other civilized countries, and what they got; now
it has seemed to me that we, as a young country, should learn from the
old and more experienced. They have proved what can and what
cannot be done. I was always ready to listen to the old that I might
learn from their experience, and improve if possible upon them. Now
that I am old, who of the young will take up where I leave off?

America is a young country, and far from being as old as were these
three great countries named, before they settled upon the different types
of horses now recognized as their national horse ; moreover, no one of
these countries found within themselves the blood from which to create
these types ; but each one went to Egypt or Arabia for the primitive
horse, for on no other spot upon the face of the globe could it be found,
except the country where God's word had been given to man, and at
which place names were given to all created animal life.

Why was it that these three great nations went to Arabia for this

" CLAYRABTA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." «j

horse from which to create new types ? If Mr. Darwin were alive, I
wonder if he could explain this question better than does Bible history?
From no other horse could these three families be produced, nor can
either of them produce other new, desirable, self-sustaining types.

As I have said, the reader must now become his own teacher, and
if he be a deep thinker and condensed reasoner, he will grow strong in
his opinions.

Again for our own country, — America ! We found wild horses
here called Indian ponies. Could we create anything from them? No;
we imported from our mother-country, and from Arabia and Egypt,
Persia and Turkey, as well as France and England, over fifty Arabian
and barb stallions. Beside these, there were brought a great many
English thoroughbred running-horses, close to the Arabian blood.

This was between 1760 and 1835, since when, or from 1835 up to
the breaking out of the war in 1861, we had at intervals quite a number
more ; so that with the beginning of the war no country had such
uniformly good horses as America ; and yet, we as a people paid no
attention to their breeding. For years " two-forty down the plank"
was in every boy's mouth, for all our horses trotted, and the best of
coach-horses were plenty and cheap.

The trotting-tracks had not been recognized as an institution to be
sustained and supported by fashionable wealth. Our vehicles were
heavy, and harness more so. The shoeing of our horses was primi-
tive ; and when I look at the big, coarse, heavy shoes of Old Henry
Clay, as compared with the delicately-finished shoe of to-day, and those
spikes for nails by the side of the little finished Putnam nail, I ask
what made our old-time horses trot so fast and endure so much with-
out training or condition. The reply comes, " Blood and breeding."
What blood? The Arabian, which had permeated the blood of most
of our horses in our new and then almost unextended civilization.
Our horses were centred in the Eastern States, where the Arabian
blood of Messenger was well diffused, and frequently reinforced by
primitive blood from the occasionally imported Arabian ; yet none of
these Arabian horses had been used to any extent except in New Eng-
land, New York State, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky ;
still, all were used, and " blood would tell."

In New England they had Arabian blood direct, in their Morgan
horse ; also more or less Messenger descendants, so that New England
and New York State were famous for good horses.

Our dreadful war began in the spring of 1861, calling for large

,3 "GENERAL BEALE" " HEGTRA," "ISLAM,"

numbers of horses. The cause was one that interested every man, so
that if he could not give himself, he gave of horses the best he had.
Many and many were the horses I saw given by the farmers in this
country for seventy-five to one hundred dollars, which six months be-
fore they would have refused to sell to me for three hundred dollars,
as to a horse-dealer for market ; but they gave cheerfully at any price
named by the government, thinking to help the country.

Up to this period our importations had been very limited; re-
stricted almost to thoroughbred race-horses, with at great intervals
an Arabian or two. The race-horses were to reinforce Kentucky's
thoroughbreds, while Arabians were usually presents to our Presidents
from the Egyptian or Turkish empires.

Our war increased in magnitude, and horses became scarce. Resort
was had to Canada ; we also brought from Texas, New Mexico, and the
far West, large numbers of mustangs ; indeed anything that would wear
a harness and draw a plough or a load, was pressed into service. Many
farmers exchanged works, thus making one or two pairs of horses do
the labor upon three farms. In 1864 an uncle of my wife (Mr. John
W. Taylor, of East Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York, who bought
the third colt from Flora Temple's dam for the late R. A. Alexander,
of Kentucky), who was himself suffering for horses upon his farm,
went to Texas and New Mexico, bringing home one hundred and forty
head of mustang-horses of all ages. They were stallions and mares,
unbroken ; but as I have said, horses were so scarce that anything
would do, and these one hundred and forty head of mustangs were
soon scattered among the farmers in the count), valued at. that time,
but cursed in memory to-day, both in themselves and produce, for all
were bred that would breed. Now it is twenty years past, and why
has not the produce proved other than a waste of time and money
through breeding it? The Canada mares had been so mongrelized by
all grades of horses — the English thoroughbred, the English shire or
draught-horse, the Clyde and half-bred Percherons — that such mares
as came from Canada and were bred, proved but a trifle better than
the mustangs as producers ; of course, Canada did not sell us her best.

Capital, always looking for investments, saw money in the importing
of good work-horses ; so the thoroughbred Percheron draught-horse
and the Scotch Clyde were brought in by sample lots. To-day, the
importation of these horses is considered one of the most profitable
investments by the importer; but is it treating our agriculturists
fairly? Is it justice to our farmers, burdened as we are with our war-

•• CLAYRABJA" AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT.'- 39

debt? Every reader knows that we are one of the greatest grass
lands in the world, and that the area in which these imported horses
are crown would not make the extent of grass land comprised in any
one of our forty States and Territories. If our sporting and agricul-
tural papers had given themselves to instructing their readers during
the past twenty years, we could have created, grown, and established
a national horse of our own, equal if not superior to anything we
now import, and would be able to sell the same animals to any part
of Europe for one-half of what we now pay for them, besides making
all the profit from our grass lands by such raising, which we now pay
out to Europe in hard dollars.

Another disadvantage we have labored under: a sporting nature
had grown and been cultivated by our young men during the war,
which settled largely on trotting-horses. The demand for trotters was
o-reat, with prospective large returns from their breeding. Hundreds
of gentlemen of means, but in every other way unfitted, purchased
land and began the breeding of horses.

Brood stock was selected by prejudice or fancy, without cultured
ability for understanding!}' investigating the reputed breedings, through
which to rate blood influences for desired results. In short, the name
was the governing power, blood and breeding being of minor impor-
tance.

Horses of all classes were exceedingly scarce, and the demand was
so great that venturers in breeding, in haste to get rich, thought more
of prospective large money returns from their investments than of
future advantages to the country through improved blood values.
Prejudice swayed the breeding and buying public, so that after twenty-
five years of unparalleled production of horses, as to numbers, we find
the country flooded with mongrels, scarce worth the raising, and from
which we are unable to select a reliable, self-sustaining, reproducing type.

Our constant importation of stockdiorses from France, Scotland,
England, and even German-Prussia, has not mended matters, but has
still further mongrelized our bloods, because we have used them for
crosses, rather than in breeding each type to itself.

If the different horses we continue to import have special merit to
warrant such importations, why not breed them pure; then with our
superior advantages in soil and climate, eclipse our cis-Atlantic neigh-
bors in the growing of their own types? Poor America! When will
she arise to the privilege and dignity of breeding her own national
horse ?

40 " GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," " ISLAM,"

Journal advocates of a name, seeing the mistake they had made in
so strongly sympathizing with public prejudice in favor of that name,
now began to print "cross and out-cross," which was soon taken up
by the people, who wanted to know what they should " cross and out-
cross" with ? This was soon fixed for another deal, and the theory of
thoroughbred runnino-horse blood was blazoned on the "out-cross"
banner. By using it, the broken-down race-horse stallions, also weeds
from that type, would be got rid of among the unsuspecting yeomanry,
only however to entail another drawback to successful breeding of a
" national horse ;" and thus the attempt by a single individual for good
general results, became a most stupendous undertaking. However,
my faith was great, for I did know ; and the resolve being made, I did
begin; believing there were plenty of men in the country who would
co-operate with me in this attempt.

Kentucky had a great prestige in her brood mares, and sporting
journals harped the string, "cross and out-cross," urging the use of
broken-down thoroughbred running-horses as stallions.

That others valued Arabian blood as I did was evident from occa-
sional importations of it; but in no case can I remember their use
being credited. From 1840 to i860 I knew of quite a number so im-
ported, two standing at Boston, three in New Jersey, three" in Mary-
land, two in Virginia, and four in Kentucky.

From the first, Arabian stallions worked into Kentucky, where they
were used upon race-horse mares. Latterly, Mokhladi, Massaud, and
Sacklowie, imported by the late A. Keene Richards into Kentucky,
did more or less business upon all kinds of dams, as well as thorough-
bred running-breds. I am willing to believe the public did not know,
in truth, the value of Arabian blood in the coach-, road-, and trotting-
horse as well as race-horse.

When, however, credit is given to Kentucky for superior blood in
her brood mares over any other State, and that superiority is credited
to her thorough running-horse blood, which in an earlier day was the
only type of horses she bred, we are inclined to look for a more direct
cause. In doing so, we find that for forty years their dams have been
under the influence of Arabian blood ; no less than five different
Arabian stallions having been imported directly into Kentucky since
1850. While these horses were obtained expressly to reinforce their
running-horse blood, when they found it more important to breed gen-
eral-purpose horses (as coach-, road-, trotting-horses and workers), they
had the all-important Arabian blood to help them, whether to strengthen

" CLA YRABlAr AND " CLA YBEALE GRANT:

running or colder-bred mares. Now, in so writing of Kentucky, I will
cite one single instance — of which I have many — showing the direct
and positive value of Arabian blood in the coach- and trotting-horse.
In 1854, Mr. L. L. Dorsey, of Kentucky, bred a daughter of the im-
ported Arabian Zilcaadie to a little inbred Morgan horse called Ver-
mont Morgan. The get and produce was called Golddust, from his
golden color. This colt, foaled in 1855, was bred upon the principle
of once out and thrice back to a primitive blood, for Justin Morgan
was Arabian-bred.

The horse Vermont Morgan was but fourteen and three-quarters
hands high, and was inbred to Justin Morgan's blood. Now, when
he is put to the daughter of imported Zilcaadie, one of the most
beautiful stallion colts known in this country was the result; I mean
L. L. Dorsey's stallion Golddust. He grew to be sixteen hands high,
weighing very nearly thirteen hundred pounds, and for trotting speed
was the peer of anything before bred in Kentucky. " He was trotted
many races, never being beaten ; one of them was a match race for
ten thousand dollars, which he won by over a distance."

As a getter, Golddust was the most positive sire for beauty, size,
and wonderful trotting speed in his colts, calling to mind Andrew Jack-
son, similarly bred, also imported Messenger of similar breeding. It
makes me nearly wild as I write, that I cannot induce men to put away
prejudice and use reason. I do not wish the reader to obey my teach-
ings, but would beg of every man interested in the breeding of horses
to think deep, embracing every opportunity to enlighten himself. We
have already too many writers who demand their readers to do as
they say in print ; I simply urge men to be better informed of them-
selves.

Such a crop of colts as were the first get by Mr. Dorsey's Arabian-
bred horse had no parallel in the breeding of beautiful coach-, road-,
and trotting-horses, except in the get of imported Messenger, Andrew
Jackson, and his son Henry Clay, all three being similarly bred to
Arabian blood influence. Moreover, these sons and daughters of Dor-
sey's old Golddust had the same high nervous temperament possessed
by the get of Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, also credited to the
get of imported Messenger.

If I write too much, men will not read ; if I say too little, they will
not understand. Men never trouble themselves to condemn and abuse
what is of no value, or what they fully understand; but will bring all
their forces in wealth and prejudice to destroy what beats them or

42 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," -ISLAM;'

stands in their way, not stopping to study into the values of the
obstacles.

I have been charged with being over-enthusiastic in the matter of
Arabian blood, called by us Clay. Now, I never began to contend for
it as did Mr. Weaver of Philadelphia, or Mr. Dorsey of Kentucky, for
each of these gentlemen contended for their individual horse. My con-
tention has been for the blood, pro bono publico; and even in that par-
ticular I was misjudged by friends, who would ask me "if it was glory"
I was after. Far from it.

In the matter of Golddust, the war broke out, and his possibilities
for Kentucky and the country at large were cut short. I remember a
lot of horses and mares by Golddust, which Mr. Dorsey sent on to
Long Island at the beginning of the war. They were in a large barn
near John I. Sneidicker's place, near the old Union track. I examined
them many times, and will say that to-day, such good horses are rare.
After the war, attempts to establish Golddust were frustrated from two
causes: first was owing to the multitude of coarse horses, more fash-
ionable in the name, and second was the mistaken idea of improving
the blood of Golddust through infusion of the blood of the rigid run-
ning-horse with its instinct. Had Mr. Dorsey selected inbred Morgan
and high-type Clay mares for his horse he would by this time have
created a " national coach-, road-, and trotting-horse" without equal in
the world. The same could have been accomplished with Messenger,
or with Young Bashaw, or Andrew Jackson, or Henry Clay. The
opportunities for a "national horse" have presented themselves, but
have not been embraced because of want of intelligent application to
the object upon the part of gentlemen of means. General William T.
Withers, of Kentucky, is now working towards such a base. I know
him to be creating a superior maternal foundation, but whether he will
introduce the right form of blood in the male, remains to be seen.

Naturally, he will feel pride in establishing his breed through his
Almont; and while Almont did possess largely ot Arabian blood
through Andrew Jackson and Pilot, and the maternal foundation will
be solid through "Clay" and Keene Richards's Arab mares, his results
would be more uniform and every way more satisfactory, were he to
make the king of his haras a direct descendant of a high-type Arabian
stallion, through a Morgan, Jackson, or a Clay mare ; but small mistakes
by the individual have disappointed more than one Napoleonic attempt.
The General remembers that by the male are the names given ; and
that rich mother-earth grows poor seed into prominence. Such seed,

" CLAYRABIA," AND - CLAYBEALE GRANT." 43

however, must be sustained by always rich mother-earth, for renewed
vitality. God's laws are perfect ; man cannot improve upon them.
Atavism, or sporting back, is more apt to come through the blood influ-
ence of the clam than of the sire. I will soon speak particularly of that.

But why did I breed to General Grant's Arabs, you ask?

When I have asked a man why he bred a mustang, his reply was,
For fun ! Was there any sense in the act or in the reply?

To this time I have been placing the argument so that reason within
the reader would answer the question.

When William H. Seward's Arabians arrived in i860 (now twenty-
five years ago), I had quite a little information upon blood and breeding
of horses, — more, indeed, than some men ever will have ; but as it is
very unprofitable information, I trust all young men will not be so foolish
as I have been. However, I was in the boat, so had to keep paddling
and stopping the leaks at the same time ; and here I am to-day, barely
afloat: I know, however, there is a safe harbor for me at the end.

We learn of great facts through deep problems, slowly. It takes
time. Thorough investigations are very difficult.

From 1820 to i860 I believed I had made a careful inquiry and
investigation into such Arabian stallions, with results, as had been
imported to America to the elate of arrival of the late Mr. Seward's
horses ; but the war was under way, stopping, for the time, all else.

Later, as a dealer and still experimental breeder, the question of
Secretary Seward's Arabian horses came up, and my search for them
proved like most others of the kind : they had been thrown away.
What was left to show for them was being credited to " time-standard
bred horses ;" thus, the two best colts to date by one celebrated " time-
standard" bred horse, are from a granddaughter of the only son of one
of Seward's Arabian horses, out of a granddaughter of Old Henry Clay ;
which facts are not known, so the time-standard bred horse gets all
credit for the two mares got by him.

Up to the time of the arrival of General Grant's Arabians I could
find no record of the attempts by any man or men to create, with intent
and purpose, any specialty from the Arabian horse, while my investiga-
tions warranted an effort, as my writings have shown.

Russia and America demand coach-, stage-, and road-horses to a
greater extent than any other nation ; and they must be of a class
adapted to general-purpose uses.

Russia has created and established her national horse upon that
base of trotting instinct, and I have shown she did it upon the same

44 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

Arabian blood used by England and France for their separate, distinc-
tive national horses.

I have also shown that our most positive and valuable horses for the
road or sporting uses, were the more closely related to Arabian blood.

One of our drawbacks from progress as a nation in all scientific
studies is the want of means by the individual, and the pellmell rush of
every man to get rich. Money, money, money, is the tocsin for every
lad, or man ; or, " Is there any money it ?" " Is there any money in it ?"
Our country is too fast; the corners of the fences are not cultivated,
when in them are acres of the richest land.

" Haste is waste." I was prepared for the arrival of General Grant's
Arabs. I believed, as will any American, that they must be of the
highest possible type. No empire or nation would insult itself by pre-
senting to so great a man, also the one representative man of so great
a nation as ours, an inferior gift from its representative animal life.
General Grant's Arabs had to be the purest and best.

The best results obtained by any crosses are not through abrupt,
but by affinity crosses, with the instinct bending in the way you want.
The Arab being plastic, reinforces a high type of man's creation by its
more vitalizing blood. To breed it to the race-horse, makes that blood
hotter and stouter in its instinct established ; and so with any other
high forms of man's creation. Bread is not flour, nor is flour wheat ; and
yet except for the wheat there would be neither flour, bread, cake, nor
pie. So in breeding ; there must be the wheat, the seed ; the life. In
horses it is the Arabian seed, blood, and life from which man can create.

I have implied that extreme physical conformations and develop-
ments, with rigid instincts as created by man, are very difficult to
change.

We wanted a national horse of a type which should conform itself
to our greatest demands ; which were stage, coach, road, and for track
uses as trotters.

We could not afford to mould over the running-horse to such pur-
poses ; indeed, time and money have proven it too uncertain.

We had the trotting instinct already moulded to a type we wanted ;
what we needed was to build this type up to a degree of superiority ;
and the only way was to reinforce it with fresh, pure blood from the
cause, — i.e., Arabian blood ; this General Grant had been sent from
abroad in his two Arabian stallions, and he offered it to his people.

Upon their arrival the only blood we had adapted for good, prompt
results, was that of Henry Clay. Its physical and instinctive organs

" CLAYEABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." ac

would assimilate more readily than that of any other type of horses we
had, because of itself purer in the primitive blood. It came nearer to
Sir Thomas Morton's saying of three hundred years ago, "Once out
and thrice back to a primitive blood for best results."

When the o-eneral's horses arrived, I had two daughters of Old
Henry Clay: both were got by him when he was owned in Monroe
County, near Rochester, New York. One was a brood mare, being
bred to a son of Henry Clay, her half-brother. I wanted virgin mares
to send to General Grant's horses, if I could find them.

I secured two young mares, coming four and five, in Michigan, in
18S0. They were own sisters, by Jack Sheppard by Henry Clay, out
of his (Jack's) own daughter. The next best son of Henry Clay
was Colonel Wads worth, bred by the late William W. Wads worth, who
owned Henry Clay. This stallion, with one of his own daughters, went
to Nashville, Tennessee. I went there, and, although the stallion was
dead, found four of his daughters, aged at the time from two to seven
(coming three to eight) ; the youngest being by him from his own
daughter. I took this filly with the two best of the other three. The
tzvo Mr. Jewett had, but the little filly I put one side with the two Shep-
pard fillies and one daughter of Henry Clay. I next went to New
York City and bought back a young mare I had sold there the fall
before for seven hundred and fifty dollars, as a road mare, allowing
fifteen hundred dollars for her. She was bred near Rochester, New
York, and was by Red Bird by Henry Clay, out of an inbred Morgan
mare. I now had five young, sound, healthy, virgin mares by Henry
Clay, or by his sons, three being inbred, and all were choice; four being
very fast natural trotters, and the fifth one would be were she not mixed
at times in her gait.

All this had been done in the fall, winter, and spring of 1879 and
18S0, Grant's horses arriving in the summer of 1879.

These mares I considered up to the English standard of blood and
breeding.

Permit me to explain my reason for selecting virgin mares for
General Grant's stallions. I have shown that I desired blood akin,
well bred, and possessed of as much consanguinity as possible.

Forty years ago, while a young man, I bred fine dogs, game-cocks,
and fancy pigeons. From early boyhood I had bred small pets, study-
ing quite a little into life as related to them.

I used to be much with old cockers in those days, to learn of them
what was interesting to me.

4<5 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

I may be mistaken, but I am under the impression they were a
stronger and better type of men than we now find in that class. They
were mostly those who had been heelers and handlers for such of the
English nobility, as were more given to those sports then, than at the
present day, consequently better informed from contact. Nearly fifty
years ago I had a beautiful setter bitch. An old English cocker whom
I called frequently to see, was always in a worry for fear some cur or
mongrel dog would get with her, and was worried, saying that if such
an accident were to happen, she would forever after be worthless for
breeding purposes. The only reason he could give me was that any
puppies she might subsequently have would be "dung-hills," even by
the best-bred dog. (The word "dung-hill" is unpleasant to write or to
speak, but is the only word used to express extreme contempt among
the class of men, of high or low degree, interested in the breeding of
sporting animals.)

The same injunction was made relative to my game-hens and a cold-
bred cock ; or my black- and-tan dogs, fearing a cur cross.

From boyhood I wanted a reason for everything. Words that I did
not understand, I wanted so thoroughly explained that I could use them
properly myself. The statements by this old cocker I found to be the
fixed opinion with all men of his class, but no one could explain them
to me. However, there was so much common sense with these men
(then fifty to sixty years old, now fifty years ago, which would make
them over one hundred if alive), that their " say so" made an impression
upon me, for they were always possessed of the breeder's gift, which
should be observing to a fine dearee. Moreover, their contact with
their intelligent employers in the old country had tended to orally
educate them into many important problems relating to breeding ; so I,
too, learned from them, or was pushed to inform myself.

The older I grew, the more impressive the opinions of these men
became ; and as I continued a student in animal life, I have learned to
listen with respect to the teachings of old men of strong minds, whether
illiterate or slightly educated ; thus, whether cock-fighters, dog-fighters,
or pugilists, I have found there was something to be learned from all,
or each ; and here let me say that a capable man in either one of
these low occupations is almost invariably a man of superiority, men-
tally ; all he requires to make him a recognized man, is the restraining
influences of education with association. I never knew an able one to
be a drunkard.

This all-powerful first blood influence upon the virgin female, was a

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT.- ,*

saying with these old men that must have a reason. As breeders of
game-cocks and bull-dogs they had listened, observed, and verified to
their satisfaction.

The illiterate man is the best-informed man in the world so far as
he goes, because he tests and proves what he cannot reason out through
reading and study.

My inquiring mind would not rest until I could test, or in some way
precipitate this saying by these men. I hunted over all the books I
could get upon breeding, but in no place could I find the subject treated ;
so I. tested it in thoroughbred black-and-tan dogs and in game-cocks,
until I said Amen ! it is so. To test blood influences, one must resort
to small things of early maturity, — man's life is short.

Later on, my position was such that almost nightly I listened to such
men as old Dr. Mott, the late Willard Parker, Dr. Simms, and men of
great research in the medical world as relates to life in man; also was
much in the New York hospitals, always a listener and thinker, as well
as student.

I learned that few men were gifted in their professions; many
adopted a profession, but few had the calling.

In those days we had much consumption and scrofula among the
young and middle-aged. It was a constant study and subject for dis-
cussion with these then young physicians. That scrofula and consump-
tion were inherited was asserted ; but what was (he cause, was the point
of study before treatment could be successful.

Young mothers would often die of consumption after bearing one
or two children, and the children would grow up scrofulous, to die in
the end of consumption.

In many instances these young mothers had been known as strong,
healthy girls, from strong, healthy parents, and the inherent cause was
imagined to be in some remote relative.

Men forget to quote, "The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation," or, "Be sure your
sin will find you out." No man or woman can violate God's law without
entailing a penalty.

Through my interest in breeding, in connection with other occupa-
tion associated with life, I could never get over the feeling that there
must have been at some time printed matter upon the question ad-
vanced to me by these old cockers of fifty years ago, as to after-results
from first conceptions, and which saying has been continued with them
to the present day. If there were a cause for physical entailment of

" GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA" " ISLAM,"

disease in man, it must be of a similar cause for influence upon the
virgin brute through a first conception, for subsequent conceptions to
different males. Reproduction of life in man, is the same as with
the brute ; and as everything pertaining to life is of importance to
man, there should be no restraint upon a proper discussion of such
topic.

The seed is life in man or beast ; it is blood. If we sow wheat that
is diseased, the crop will be diseased. If we plant smut corn, our field
will yield abundantly of smut corn. And so in the vegetable kingdom,
disease produces disease in the following crops. Life is life, whether
vegetable, animal, or human; and man was intended to study himself,
through observation and comparison ; with life largely subjected to his
will. The ground is mother-earth, and can become diseased so as to
bring forth diseased fruit. It partakes of the first seed planted in it,
to contribute in succeeding births, health or disease.

Constitutional imperfections in the male may be absorbed by the
female, to be given out again and again in her produce to different
males.

Although I had proven to myself thirty years ago, that the influence
of the first male upon the system of the female was such that she gave
of her constitutional impregnation to the get of other males, I still con-
tinued to search in old medical and scientific works for some treatise
upon the question.

I had reasoned the matter out within myself, but wanted other
authority than my own by way of verification, and at last found it ; but
must repeat from memory. Although precisely my own conclusions, I
will not say to the reader, I am the man.

Let every reader and every thinker remember that there is nothing
new under the sun, not even in the mind of man.

One day, while in the office of a physician gifted in obstetrics and
female diseases or disorders, I found in his library a very old medical
and scientific work, dated in England in i 700, with extracts dating in
1 600. In it, the very subject which for so many years I had studied over,
was treated upon ; and opened to me the origin of the old English
cocker's saying of fifty years ago. The article was entitled, " The Influ-
ence of the Blood of the Male upon the Female in After-conceptions by
Different Males," and reasoned thus:

First, the seed is life. In animal or human it is blood, but life: seed
first, blood second, then life.

Here let me illustrate to such as will understand. Life is in the

" CLAYRABIAr AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." 40

seed, which may be at a high or low degree. To diminish the seed, is to
lower vitality or vigor of life.

With many living things, coition between the sexes is certain death
to the male. He has given his seed, his life. This I learned in 1835
while breeding and growing silk-worms. The most beautiful and vig-
orous millers would come from the cocoons, and after one coition, death
was certain to the male, while the female lived on to lay her eggs. To
take the male and confine him alone, was to lengthen his life with con-
tinued vigor ; but the laws of re-creation demanded death through the
giving of life. I will continue from this treatise of 1600:

The seed of the male is life ; if life, it is blood ; and the blood is what
is recognized as of importance in the breeding of animals.

The virgin we will suppose to be as she usually is, pure as sun-
light, in her blood, to one type (for we are not now doing with mongrels,
only as we create them).

Coition takes place between the male and a virgin female. The
seed is received into the uterus or womb, where it germinates into
blood, which, united with that of the virgin, becomes part of her life,
fed by her blood. Now, if this fcetus be in truth a part of the male,
then the life of his seed must contribute to the life of the growing fcetus.
The blood of the growing fcetus, representing both sire and mother,
passes back and forth with each pulsation of the heart of the mother,
through her entire system, feeding and replenishing her system to all
draughts upon it during the period of gestation, or up to maturity of
and birth of the foal. Now, if we say the new-born foal partakes of
the blood of the sire, and that blood has to a certain extent been feed-
ing the system of its mother for a period of eleven months, we have
a right to suppose that the blood of the sire of the new-born foal still
remains in the system of the virgin dam ; and from it, she must impart
to her next foal by some other horse. If this be not so, then it makes
no difference what the blood of the dam may be, so long as the sire is
all right; but such reasoning- as this would be against human reason;
or, if I am correct, then we have an explanation of atavism, or sporting
back. With me the argument is a fact ; and is one that should draw
attention from all breeders. More study with deeper thinking is what
is needed, and less "cross and cut-cross' business.

It is supposed that the nerve-power is mostly given by the dam ; but
that is a blind supposition. If the dam be the better bred of the two,
as was usually the case when the well-bred Clay mare was prostituted
to colder blood, then she did contribute most of the nerve-power for

c;o " GENERAL BEALE," " HEGlRAr " ISLAM;'

speed to the foal ; but breed any kind of a mare one may prefer, to a
thoroughbred Arabian horse, and they will find the nerve-power will be
given by the horse to the foal, thus proving again that " blood will tell."

Animals should be bred to one blood instinct in order to be eetters
of a positive type ; not the desired instinct in our, with a belief that it
will predominate over a deficiency in the other, and that the produce
will be superior to either sire or dam. The talk about building up this
deficiency, or reducing a surplus of some one propensity through this
cross or that cross, is the most astonishing talk to me, from otherwise
intelligent men.

For success in breeding, both male and female must be true to one
type ; then with united effort, the young is improved. Messenger was a
great getter, because the blood of both sire and dam was close to the
one original type, — Godolphin Arabian.

The experience of Thomas Bates in breeding short-horns, illustrates
the importance of purity of blood to one type, in both male and female.
The repeated destruction of the foundation for the English thorough-
bred running-horse, through external and internal wars between 1639
and 1700, with every time a resort to original or primitive blood of the
Arabian, should be a lesson to all not to be much blinded by prejudice.

OF EXTENDED PEDIGREKS.

It is customary to extend the pedigree of horses back as far as pos-
sible. No thought is given to the blood influence, simply a desire to
reach at some point back, a prominent thoroughbred running-horse.

Thus, in such pedigrees we find bloods that were supposed to pace;
others which were known to be mongrel-bred running-horses, with a
work-horse or two ; but in the end, Diomed or Messenger are certain
to be added, to whom to credit all good.

All through these long lines of ancestry we find mongrel-bred
horses; but every time a running-bred horse is found or made to fit,
the enthusiastic prejudiced advocate of race-horse blood, points his
finger with pride to the printers' ink, of the name, — not the blood
instinct, lor it is not there except to run, were the animal alive.

Now, for the benefit of such uninformed but visionary advocates of
Diomed blood influences, let me state how he was bred, when he was
foaled, and when he died, then tell me what possible blood influence he
can have upon any horse of to-day; or, better, we will say that he did
stud duty in the State of Virginia from 1799 to 1S07, and that he was
twenty-two years old when first covering a mare in Virginia. Of course,

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." r,

from twenty-two to twenty-nine were his years of stud service, and in
all my experience with old horses I have never known of one to be a
very sure foal-getter, except for a very limited number of mares, when
past twenty-three years old. Diomed got but few, and of course they
were running-bred of different breedings, which meant dilution of his
blood influences, except to the one instinct — run, which was the all-
absorbing thought in breeding in Virginia, — i.e., to win at the running
gait.

On the dam ' s side of Diomed we find three infusions of Arabian
blood close up, from Godolphin Arabian, Darley's Arabian, and Al-
cock's Arabian. Please, dear reader, fasten this truth in your mind.
Then take the sire of Diomed, and we find in both his sire and dam,
Godolphin Arabian close up ; and a little back Leed's Arabian, Darley
Arabian, Bethel's Arabian, and Byerly Turk. Now, no great, long-
extended pedigree through great mongrelizations is tacked on to
Diomed, but every sire and dam was Arabian blood close up ; hence
when the plastic Arabian blood of Diomed was bent by man's will to
trot, it was able to do so with the true game do or die qualities of the
Arabian.

Had Diomed landed in New York State in place of Virginia, and
his get been used to stage-coaches as were Messenger's, it is a question
whether it would not have been almost the equal of Messenger. With
me, as an individual, it would not, because the special pliability of
Messenger blood was greater, being purer Arabian and more of the
one family, Godolphin.

To-day, these blood instincts with influences, are gone. It is folly
to talk of Messenger blood, or of Diomed blood influences in our
trotting-horses of the present time. They are uncertainties from a
multitude of mongrelizations, which no amount of printers' ink in pedi-
grees can purify or make more positive. Uncertainty induced our
"time standard," which is like the chip on the boy's shoulder, with his
bravado, " Knock it off if you dare !"

Let us simile the printed horse pedigrees of to-day by naming dogs.
Horses are horses, dogs are dogs, and game-cocks are game-cocks.
I have bred them all to blood, and know practically what I am writing
about.

We will say that I have a remarkable pointer bitch. (I have owned
and bred many.) I will take one sent to me as a little puppy many years
ago by Commodore Foxhall A. Parker, of the United States Navy
(deceased). His word was sufficient as to her breeding. I grew her,

r2 "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

thoroughly house-breaking her, then presented her to Colonel J. James
La Rue, of West Virginia. She was bred to blood, and proved a worker
in the field from the word go. We will imagine her pedigree much as
the long pedigrees of horses seem to me in catalogues and stud-books.
We will say her sire was a bull-terrier out of a King Charles slut. Her
grandsire was an Italian greyhound out of a black-and-tan slut. Her
great-grandsire was a spitz out of an Irish setter, and so on ; take them
all in as one very expensive catalogue by a horse-breeder of great
repute does in extended pedigrees, but best explained thus :

Saint Bernard, Newfoundland, mastiff, English bull-dog, pointer,
setter, greyhound, Russian blood-hound, Scotch deer-hound, French
poodle, Dutch beagle, Spanish blood-hound, Scotch terrier, water-
spaniel, cocker, fox-hound, otter-hound, two cur clogs, Skye terrier, pug,
colly dog, harrier, fox-terrier, English pointer, and the bitch sent to me
by Commodore Parker which I presented to Colonel La Rue as a thor-
oughbred pointer !

Now, these names represent dogs, and many a man would accept
the breeding of the pointer slut just as I here make it up, were they to
read it in print. I am knowing to a great many deceptions in the
breedings of horses fully as ridiculous as I here illustrate through mixing
of dogs. Alfred, imported by Thomas Weddle in 1833, was an English
draught-horse. In these days he figures in paper pedigrees as " Sir Al-
fred," the imported English thoroughbred. Turk, also imported by him
at the same time, was a Cleveland Bay (as was Bellfounder, imported
ten years earlier). In these days he figures as an English thorough-
bred, and the get of both these horses was taken into Kentucky for
stock purposes, also into the East and the West. General Dudley and
Henry Clay, Jr., both took such horses from here into Kentucky, where
the Alfred and Turk stock were well liked.

Imported Emigrant was another of the Alfred type ; but to-day he
figures as the thoroughbred English horse "Imported Emigrant."

Men are not all interested in breeding of horses or dogs; but some
who have acquired wealth, gratify a latent desire for a horse or dog,
then, with greater ignorance than a boy, accept printed pedigrees as
authentic, contending with great energy for their truthfulness.

The mixing of all these dogs as I have given them, is but "crossing
and out-crossing," as advocated by some papers. Each well-bred horse
has a type of its own, which can be crossed out then back upon ; but
to create a new and self-sustaining type, resort must be had to the
primitive. One cannot get far away from a primitive, then resort to it

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." r,

with speedily satisfactory results. It was from knowing this that I
selected my mares with so great care to stint to General U. S. Grant's
Arabians.

I will tell you of another move I made before, at the time, and after
I had bred to General Grant's Arabians. I owned Jack Sheppard,
Ashland, Black Henry, and Rushmore, each a son of Henry Clay. To
these I added Baltimore's Henry Clay or Hepburn, and Spink, by
Andy Johnson by Henry Clay. I had mares by Old Henry, which I
stinted to these horses. I then added Clay Pilot by Neave's Clay by
Cassius M. Clay by Henry Clay, to secure the Pilot blood. I had in
the mean time selected choice mares by the best sons of Henry Clay
which were dead; they were Harrison Clay, Madison Clay, and Colonel
Wadsworth.

With the get of these sons of Henry Clay out of my better-bred
mares by Henry Clay and his sons, I sold to Henry C. Jewett & Co.,
of Buffalo, Black Henry, Rushmore, and Ashland, also Sailor by Ash-
land, urging them, as the stallions were old, to breed Clay blood close,
if they could get the mares. But they were strongly impressed with
the cry of "cross and out-cross," as public opinion and public prejudice
were financially important to them ; so I ceased to speak, pursuing my
own course marked out. I knew that breeding to an uncertainty, with
any amount of capital at the back, must be failure in the end ; and that
to breed to a certainty, with no capital, could be no worse.

My close breeding of Clay was very satisfactory. The foals came
in excellent form, — strong, healthy, and active, growing up handsomer,
finer, and larger than the parent stock, every one showing strong
trotting- instinct.

I was fortunate in that my inbreeding of Clay gave me almost every
time a filly, while my Arab get came horses. This attempt dates from
1880, so that my first are now past four years old, and so clown to suck-
lings. To accomplish my purpose I had to keep all produce. My old
stock represented the choicest possible selections, which I would not
sell ; then to part with my inbred fillies, was to rob my Arabian Clay
stallion colts, and frustrate my attempts.

My purse was short; and but for the Hon. Erastus Corning, of
Albany, F. P. Freeman, of New York, and L. B. Ashley, of Rochester,
I should have been unable to continue to this time. It has been a long
hold. The privations I have endured, the physical labor I have under-
gone, the large amount of public and private writing I have accom-
plished have been little compared with the unjust, untruthful, and cruel

54 "GENERAL BEALE" " HEGIRA" "ISLAM,"

attacks through sporting journals ; but I have stood up to it all, and
now look upon my labors as having been productive of good results.
I have had one good, faithful man : and what he lacked in some ways
I made up, thankful he was temperate and faithful. It took courage,
firmness, and concentrated purpose, with quite a little information ;
and at this writing I am very bold to say that no such collection in one
family of horses, each and every one true to its type and pure in its
blood, upon which to found and establish a national horse, has before
been known upon this continent. Neither the English thoroughbred
running-horse, nor the French Percheron draught-horse, nor the Rus-
sian Orloff trotting-horse were equally well founded ; besides which, it
is purely American as a foundation. It boasts of no English creation,
nor French, nor Russian ; but does boast of the one primitive horse,
the Arabian, from which, as I have said, each one of these other nations
created their "national idols ;" for a good, pure-bred horse will be idol-
ized by man.

I have concentrated my lifetime experience upon this object, that
others might be benefited; and not for a purpose of financial gain to
myself, as many have thought.

That the laborer is worthy of his hire I do believe ; and so feeling,
trust that all my labor will not have been lost.

I am CTettino- to be an old man from continued hard work, mental
and physical ; and when I say that for ten years I have not had one
single day of recreation, the reader can gather some idea of what my
applications have been.

Some have felt hard towards me because my stallions were not for
public service. Such as were old, I desired should be vigorous for my
use. Mv Arabs I declined, because if to be condemned, I preferred it
should be through the virgin mares I had "Town for them, and which I
believed would be impossible. I have long felt that our manner of
breeding horses demanded a change ; that intelligent reasons should
be introduced anions such breeders, as crovern those interested in
cattle and sheep. We have been long breeding mongrels of no fixed
type of value, and ultimate results must prove financially disastrous to
the agricultural country, as well as to those who are making a specialty
of breeding horses of mixed bloods.

The motto, " Fewer and better," should be hung up in the office and
stable of every breeder ; then the occupation would grow more scien-
tific in its tendency, with more pleasant and profitable results. No
man can afford to breed and raise coach- and road-horses at seventy-

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." r c

five, one hundred, or one hundred and fifty dollars per head at a selling
age ; and yet, from our present way of breeding, it will be exceptionally
good ones to bring those prices.

In closing this article I would have every breeder in the land con-
sider me his friend. I can sympathize with them in their troubles, for I
know them from practical experience. No other breeder has so many.
The trials, disappointments, and vexations are greater than in any other
occupation, in which they can have little sympathy from the financial,
commercial, or social world. Indeed, outside their own calling they can
have little intercourse, and that is not always companionable.

As I have said, I am growing old fast ; and would make a sugges-
tion, that a syndicate of younger men of means, interested in the
breeding of horses, should take my entire foundation as it is to-day,
then build up from it a "national horse" to their own credit, and to the
credit of the country, to which the name of General U. S. Grant would
be a base, and to whose memory this book is dedicated.

Having introduced a transcript from old English records relating
to the foundation of their thoroughbred race-horse, I have, with permis-
sion, taken portions from General Smith's genealogical tabulation for
his Golddust stallion, extending them somewhat from my own records.

By them, gentlemen who have been accustomed to cite Sir Archy,
American Eclipse, Duroc, Diomed, or other thoroughbred running-
horses as the blood cause for superior merit in our coach-, road-, and
trotting-horse, will the more easily understand my preaching of Arabian
blood direct.

It is also a recorded fact in English turf history, that such sires as
were most closely related to their imported Arabian stallions were the
getters of their highest rates of speed, with endurance. The tables I
have given, showing prominent thoroughbred running-horses, are neces-
sarily in part the foundation of our great American trotting-horse; but
with me it does not seem necessary to take the blood cause in that way,
for it is too expensive, and too far-fetched. Strike from the shoulder!
Messenger, we know, was positive for trot ; he was triply inbred to the
Arab. Andrew Jackson and his best son, Henry Clay, were, like im-
ported Messenger, close-bred to Arabian blood, — were born trotters,
which blood instinct they gave strongly to their get from any and all
classes of dams. I will, in brief, tabulate them. Again, L. L. Dorsey's
old Golddust so strongly verifies my argument, I will also introduce him
in genealogical tabulation, which brings in the famous Justin Morgan.

In speaking of Justin Morgan, permit me to state that from my

e6 "GENERAL BEALE," "HEGIRAy "ISLAM,"

earliest boyhood old men spoke of him as an Arabian-bred horse. I
was born within five miles of where Justin Morgan was got and foaled,
— i.e., Springfield, Massachusetts. My father, grandfather, great- and
great-great-grandfathers were all born between Springfield, Massachu-
setts, and Hartford, Connecticut. None were horse-dealers, but all
owned and loved good horses. As a family, they were remarked for
good memory and cultured intelligence. Fifty years ago, as a boy, I
would listen to these old gentlemen in Springfield as they talked about
the Arabian-bred " Morgan horses," and many was the one I rode or
drove.

Study, observation, and practical experience with my sons and
daughters of General Grant's Arabian stallions, refreshes memory, con-
firming my belief in the statements by these old gentlemen regarding
the Arabian breeding of Justin Morgan. First, the get of Arabian
stallions are small in inches, but powerful in muscular development.
Their heads are fine and good, and their ears are small. From four-
teen to fourteen and three-quarters is the usual height. One rising to
fifteen and one-quarter or fifteen and one-half is very large for an Arab-
bred horse. They are short in the back, are well ribbed up, and power-
fully compact in build. Justin Morgan had all these points. Any one
of my sons and daughters of General Grant's Arabs, would pass in
Vermont for highly-bred Morgan horses, although Hegira would be
considered very large. Three of them are duplicates of old-time pen-
pictures of Justin Morgan.

L. L. Dorsey's old Golddust, which I have spoken of, is a happy
illustration of the principle in animal life of once out and thrice back
to a primitive blood. If Justin Morgan had been the product of Eng-
lish thoroughbred running-horse blood far removed from Arabian, why
is it that the Morgan type could never in any way be duplicated in
England or America by or through crosses from the English thorough-
bred fixed type ? Still, the Morgan horse retains his characteristics
widely different from any thoroughbred race-horse crosses.

Besides Messenger, Morgan, and Dorsey's old Golddust, each a
representative of close-bred Arabian product, we have Andrew Jackson
and his best son, Henry Clay. Now, every horseman knows that each
one of these five different Arab-bred stallions were natural trotters,
and to the end of time produced instinctive trot in their get; with all,
the first get by each representative Arab-bred horse were famous
quarter horses at the running gait. Is there no reason in our argu-
ments?

" CLAYRABIA," AND " CLAYBEALE GRANT." cy

Were it not for vexing my publishers through annoyance to their
compositors and proof-readers, I would introduce a number of genea-
logical tabulations, but I have already burdened them beyond an
apology.

It is a lamentable fact that serious errors will creep into print, which
lead many breeders to great disappointment; but such errors are un-
avoidable. In speaking of the Morgan horse (although I have over-
stepped my contract with my publishers as to number of pages), I will
tell of one serious error and explain it. Thomas Hx Kellogg was born
in Sheffield, Massachusetts, in 1773, moving to East Bloomfield, Ontario
County, about 1800. He was a large farmer and great horseman ; always
keeping one or two stallions for public service. These he would bring
from the East (Long Island and New England was then called the
East). In 1826 he brought from Boston a son of Justin Morgan that
had been raised in Vermont. Mr. Kellogg stood this horse as " Kel-
logg's son of Justin Morgan," or as the " Morgan horse." In 1828 the
Morgan abduction (Masonic) involved his son-in-law, Colonel Edward
Sawyer, of Canandaigua (eight miles distant). Prejudice ran very high
against the name of Morgan, so that even the name of Mr. Kelloo-o-'s
stallion was a damage to him ; then too, Colonel Sawyer being a son-
in-law of Thomas H. Kellogg, his Morgan stallion was in danger. It
was advised to change the name ; and as this country was full of Scotch-
men, the name of "Highlander" was given to Kellogg's son of Justin
Morgan. It was a big move, and as anything brought from the East into
this then far West was said to be imported, they soon spoke of Thomas
Kellogg's horse as the " imported horse Highlander." By him were got
Shelton's Highlander, Paul's Highlander, Baker's Highlander, with in-
numerable sons and daughters, and grandsons and granddaughters, to
be scattered East and West as by "imported Highlander," and later as
by "thoroughbred Highlander;" even the old horse himself went West
as " imported Highlander." This is the thoroughbred Highlander blood
in the grandam of George Wilkes. These truths I am knowing to, as
are plenty of other old men. T. H. Kellogg died in East Bloomfield
in 1857, eighty-four years old, and his daughter Mary long resided with
my father-in-law.

In these days I never see the name of " Highlander" in the breeding
of any trotting-horse East or West, without wondering to myself whether
the blood came from Uncle Thomas Kellogg's son of the Arabian-bred
Justin Morgan. There are so many errors in the recorded breedings
of noted horses that I am knowing to, as in the above instance, that I

eg "GENERAL BEALE," " HEGIRA," "ISLAM,"

am a very sceptical man in matters of recorded pedigrees. One of
the greatest brood mares in America, as a producer of the highest rates
of trotting speed in every colt, by any horse, is recorded with a long
pedigree which I know to be positively false ; for both herself and dam
were bred and raised near me, and I know all about them ; but because
thoroughbred runninsr-horse blood is so fashionable in the sire or dam,
her pedigree is loaded with it, in print. Her owner is one of the promi-
nent men in the country, and to attack the pedigree of his wonderful
brood mare would injure me, without doing any good. In another
instance, where I wrote the owner that the breeding of his horse as
advertised to the public was a mistake, showing him where, he replied
by letter, which I still have, saying, " My horse has a good pedigree
and is recorded. Until a man can give me a better one, his advertised
breeding will not be changed." Now, no man need fear me, for I prefer
to die with these errors unrevealed rather than endure any more in-
justice than I have, from trying to help breeders at large, through telling
them where their "Chester white" was a " Berkshire bred" to my per-
sonal knowledge.

"Blood Will Tell."

CLA YRABIA," AND " CLA YBEALE GRANT.'

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6o OLD "HENRY CLAY."

OLD "HENRY CLAY."

The likeness of the stallion Henry Clay, known as Colonel William
W. Wadsworth's Henry Clay for many years, but of late as Old Henry
Clay, is the only correct picture of the horse presented to the public
eye. Henry Clay was Arabian-bred, strongly so ; possessing the build,
disposition, and constitution of the Arab. His ears were fine and small,
forehead full and broad, jowls deep, wide between, and thin ; eyes large
and prominent, muzzle small, with thin lips, and large thin nostrils.
His limbs were fine, yet powerful ; the osselets small, as in the Ara-
bian ; while his very handsome feet were tough enough to go for all
time barefoot, a peculiarity of the Arab. He was the founder of the
entire family of Clay horses, and his purity of blood was so great as
to stamp his high physical qualities with instincts to a positiveness,
outlasting that of all other families to date.

In 1846 and 1847, Mr. T. K. Van Zant, of Albany, New York, then
a rising young artist, was employed by Miss Wadsworth (sister of
William W. Wadsworth) to paint some blooded cattle and sheep, for
her. At this time, Mr. Wadsworth requested that Henry Clay should
be painted as he stood i?i Iris stall. The painting was large and attrac-
tive. Sitting in front of the horse was a white terrier dog, a companion
of Henry, and pet with Mr. Wadsworth. Upon the harness-pegs in the
stall was a bridle ; and in the door-way were brushes and comb, and an
open window gave a charming perspective view, so that as a whole, the
painting pleased Mr. Wadsworth, although the horse as represented,
was but a poor attempt by an amateur. Such was the Wadsworth
painting. However, when we consider Mr. Van Zant's limited experi-
ence at that time, also his physical infirmities (neither fingers nor thumb),
we must say that he deserves both credit and commendation for his
prominence as an animal painter in later years. My introduction of
Henry Clay into this book may be considered out of place; but when
it is understood that the horse was strongly inbred to Arabian blood in
both sires and dams, and was but a third remove from an imported

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OLD "HENRY CLAY." 6 1

thoroughbred Arabian, and that, through the dams, Henry Clay was
superior in blood to imported Messenger, and as an individual horse
was of far greater merit, I am certain the reader will approve the sub-
ject as happily introduced.

As my long-looked for " Clay History," with between seventy and
eighty sketches of sons and daughters and grandsons and grand-
daughters (by the lamented Herbert S. Kittredge), will at some time
appear, it would be out of place were I to make this souvenir to Gen-
eral U. S. Grant, a place for controversy as to the merit or demerit of
the Clay family of horses.

The Arabians Leopard and Linden, were sketched in 18S0, as illus-
trative of Arabian blood influence, for my contemplated " Clay History ;"
and for that purpose the drawings were then secured by copyright,
little dreaming they would become objects of special interest to the
public through the untimely taking away of the people's idol, General
U. S. Grant.

As Herbert S. Kittredge progressed with his sketches for my " Clay
History," he was mostly among old men who knew Henry Clay and
had bred to him. In their telling him of the horse, and often pointing
out striking resemblance in some son or daughter, Kittredge grew to
know Henry Clay without having seen him.

Now, the mind of Kittredge was peculiar. He rarely would talk,
but would absorb the mind and thoughts of such as talked interestingly
to him. I often felt that the object in the minds of others was so photo-
graphed upon his own, that with his pencil he could reproduce the sub-
ject a la Nasi. Numerous instances of this gift occurred during his
three years' residence with me, which I noted down. He was what
might be termed a mind-reader in art. One case of many, where he
was put to a test, I will cite as interesting.

Early in December, 1880, Mr. Orrin Hickok sent me from San
Francisco, California,, a very large lithograph of Saint Julian. It was
badly out of proportion, not looking like the horse. I hung it in Kit-
tredge's studio in my house, pointing out to him where it was wrong,
and how he could make a good likeness of Saint Julian from it. When
he went to New York City that winter, I told him to take the picture,
hang it in his room, and get Mr. Goldsmith to come and criticise it. I
met Mr. Goldsmith there, and through our criticism a perfect sketch
was made for me, which to-day is unequalled as a likeness of the horse.

During the next season, when Saint Julian was in the circuit and
had reached Buffalo, Kittredge went from my residence to that city and

62 OLD "HENRY CLAY."

sketched the horse from life. When Mr. Hickok and Saint Julian
reached Rochester, we met Mr. Goldsmith, Mr. Hickok, and others in
Saint Julian's box, with the two sketches, — one made through criticism
upon the lithograph, and the other from life. The conception sketch was
the most perfect. Both being the same size, none could tell which was
the one from life; but Mr. Hickok and Mr. Goldsmith pronounced my
sketch as most perfect of the horse, and later, many duplicates were
made by Kittredge from my sketch, by tracing through oiled paper, after
the manner adopted for piratiiig sketches, pictures, and paintings.

I had borrowed from Mr. W. A. Wadsworth, in 1879, his father's
old painting of Henry Clay, in order that H. S. Kittredge might sketch
a copy to serve as frontispiece to my "Clay History;" and at once
secured it by copyright for that purpose, to which Mr. Wadsworth had
donated it. This painting I hung in my dining-room, so Kittredge
would see it every time he sat at my table. To forward my ends, I,
invited Mr. Worthington, Mr. Nelson Thompson, Mr. M. L. Commins,
Mr. Robert Whaley, and Mr. Frederick Fellows to meet at my house
and criticise this painting for Kittredge. Four of the different gentle-
men had owned Henry Clay after Mr. William W. Wadsworth's death,
and all had known the horse since his arrival from Long Island at
Geneseo. Mr. Ambrose Worthington kept a hotel at Geneseo, and
was also a stage-route owner, mail contractor, and for fifty years the
best coach-horse matcher in Western New York. Such a man is a
good critic. Mr. Nelson Thompson, of Penn Yan, was his partner at
one time in the stage business. Mr. Thompson, after Mr. Wadsworth's
death, wanted Henry Clay, and through Mr. Worthington, who lived
at Geneseo, he got him, only half an hour before John Purchase of
Long Island walked into the office with money in hand, intending to
take the stallion back to Long Island, where he had been taking his
colts by the dozen as yearlings, every year since Henry Clay came into
this country. Whatever became of all of Henry Clay's colts that John
Purchase took to Long Island between 1S46 and the time of Colonel
Wadsworth's death, nobody knows; for John Purchase is also dead.

However, these different owners of Henry Clay came repeatedly
to see me and to tell Kittredge over and over again, where Van Zant's
painting failed of being correct.

Kittredge grew enthusiastic to make the sketch, so I removed the
painting to his room. The sketch he made and brought to me was in
pencil, shaded up to a finish. I was astonished at its perfectness, but
had faith from the first to believe he would do it. The star was a

OLD "HENRY CLAY."

crescent, as if to brand his princely Oriental blood. This Mr. Van
Zant thought unnatural, so in his painting made it as he thought it
should be, which improvements are faults with most animal painters.

With Kittredge, if there was a spavin, or curb, or capped hock,
cocked ankles, goitre, blind eye, or any physical imperfection, or mark
in the hoof, or in fact any identifying mark, it was certain to be in his
sketch. Then, too, the length of the ear, or kink or wave in the mane
and tail, appeared in the drawing as it was in the horse.

This pencil sketch was submitted to each one of these five named
gentlemen, and warmly endorsed by them, as perfect. I then had
Kittredge shade it up in India ink, placing it with my collection of
Clay sketches, now appearing for the first time before the public, in
this souvenir.

A feeling of injustice to poor " Kirby" Van Zant began to come
over me. But for " Kirby" Van Zant there would have been no paint-
ing of Henry Clay from which to make this sketch. Could I not in
some way befriend the old artist, even to giving him credit for this
sketch in my book ?

The late Daniel S. Lathrop, of Albany, was a friend of Mr. T. K.
Van Zant ; he was also a friend of mine, and a warm admirer of young
Kittredge. I wrote Mr. Lathrop of what I had done, also of my feel-
ings towards Van Zant, asking if it were not possible for him to make
a new painting, correcting his errors so that it could appear in my
work to his credit as the artist.

Mr. Lathrop replied " that Van Zant could not remember the horse,
but thought he could correct his errors in the painting, of which he was
certain there must be many, for it was a work of his youth ; although,
much as he would like to try, he had a dread of seeing the old painting."

Mr. Lathrop advised to send it to him, which I did. In due time
he wrote requesting me to come down to Albany, as Mr. Van Zant had
corrected his malformations in the old painting, in a copy ; but had no
recollection of the horse. I went, and soon saw that Mr. Van Zant was
justly credited as a superior artist in the manipulation of colors in oil,
as a landscape-painter; but was not excellent in horse portraiture, nor
vivid in memory ; but that some justice might be awarded to him in the
matter of his old painting, I remained with him part of the day, leading
a horse up to his door that he might study the position of the limbs in
repose, after which I ordered him to paint me two copies, as well as he
could, from Wadsworth's old painting. Mr. Lathrop, knowing I had
secured the painting by copyright, asked that he might have two copies.

OLD "HENRY CLAY."

Both these orders were given to help Mr. Van Zant, who was needy.
When the paintings for me came to hand, they were far from satisfactory
to these old gentlemen critics; nothing but Kittredge's sketch would do
for them, or for myself, as I remembered Old Henry, so I presented one
of the two paintings to a gentleman, retaining the other. In these two
copies Mr. Van Zant's love for scenery was such, that he would not
reproduce the horse in his stable as in the original ; but made an entirely
new painting, losing all semblance to the original. Kittredge, in his
copy of the painting, reproduced fact (the horse in his stall). As a
scenic-painter, Van Zant would be grand. Kittredge, on the other
hand, would concentrate all his mind upon the one object. This I en-
couraged, so that most of my sketches represent the object standing
upon a plain floor. I have often noticed that our very best portrait-,
as well as animal-painters, failed in all but the object ; Kittredge him-
self knowing this, depended upon his young associate, Andrew J.
Schultz, to fill in the background where one was desired, in which
Schultz excelled. The two were differently gifted ; Schultz studying
under Kittredge progressed rapidly in horse portraiture.

I have already said more than I intended about the sketch of Henry
Clay, in this book. No horse, to my knowledge, had such a remarkable
life as Henry Clay, as will appear in my history devoted to him, and for
which he was sketched as a frontispiece, to be followed by over seventy
representative sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters, all by
the master-workman, Herbert S. Kittredge.

All horsemen and readers of equine literature know what value I
put upon Henry Clay; they also know that my persevering and vigorous
championship has resurrected him from the oblivion to which he was
rapidly being consigned, and has given him a name and fame among the
different families.

Although his superior value was patent to me from the time my
attention was first directly called to him as a remarkable horse and
sire, I must confess that it was not until after months and even years
of persistent investigation, that I discovered I must look to Arabian
blood for the qualities which made Henry Clay of such unusual merit.
At first I was satisfied to call it " Henry Clay," and on that name to
build my foundation; but when the inquisitive and ever-insatiable public
continued to ask the reason ivhy 1 placed Henry Clay at the front, I was
forced, nolens vo/ens, to seek for the primitive cause, and that I have
proven, to my own satisfaction at least, was due to the Arabian ancestry.
So, as Henry Clay has seemed from some unaccountable reason a dif-

OLD "HENRY CLAY." g-

ficult name for the dear public to swallow (a " rose by any other name
will smell as sweet"), we will call it Arab, for it must eventually mero-e
into that. Arab or Clay, it is all the same to me so long as the blood
still continues to sustain the high character I have given the horse for
the future. For this reason it seems amply fitting that Henry Clay
should have a place among these royal pages.

His Arabian paternity is authenticated ; and upon it he has never
thrown a stain ; but the rather, has shone with a brilliancy fairly eclips-
ing those of more primitive and noble birth.

Horse lovers and breeders generally know full as well as I can tell
them, how severely I have been criticised, and how bitterly I have been
assailed for my strong and perhaps more ardent defence of Henry Clay
than was necessary. I have never written to wound, but from the earn-
estness of my convictions, knowing the horse as I did, and as my oppo-
nents did not. If at any time my pen has written more harshly than it
should, I crave the pardon of whoever may have been stung by its point.
All I ask in return, is that those who have maligned me most, shall
make the same diligent study and research that I have, and wherever
they find I have spoken truthfully, will have the candor to acknowledge
it; and in the course o\ horse events, should calamity overtake the valua-
ble representatives of the blood for which I have been contending, I have
still one further request to make even of my bitterest enemy: that if one
or more of them shall ever fall into his hands, he will have the honesty
and fairness to carry out in breeding, the principles which I have sought
and proven ; then, from his own actual experience say whether these
things are so.

I cannot close these few pages without a word for the noble and
gifted young artist whose name graces the pictures of General Grant's
two Arabian stallions in this book, Herbert S. Kittredge. But for
him General Grant's Arabs, Old Henry Clay, and many others would
never have been reproduced in such faultless manner, so perfectly
true to life. That young Kittredge is dead is a public calamity, and
we feel that "we shall ne'er see his like again," although his young
associate, Andrew J. Schultz, has done splendidly in an effort to fill the
vacancy.

Perhaps the author of this book may be pardoned in assuming to
himself the credit, not of making the artist, but of brinoqW him before
the public, especially in horse portraiture ; of encouraging his continu-
ance to a perfecting himself in this particular direction, recognizing as
we did, his remarkable gift in giving to the horse a personnel — if I may

66 OLD "HENRY CLAY."

be allowed the expression — that we have never seen equalled by any
other American artist.

I would also here thank the several journals who, during my single-
handed contest for blood and breeding in our American horse, have
extended to me numerous courtesies through their columns when so
many of their more valuable patrons were opposed to me.

Again allow me to express to the Messrs. Lippincott my hearty
satisfaction for the elegant and faithful manner in which they have
represented my thoughts in the getting up of this souvenir.

Respectfully,

RANDOLPH HUNTINGTON.

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Full text of "History in brief of "Leopard" and "Linden," General Grant's Arabian stallions, : presented to him by the sultan of Turkey in 1879. Also their sons "General Beale," "Hegira," and "Islam," bred by Randolph Huntington. Also reference to the celebrated stallion "Henry Clay.""

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